#and if they mean the previous previous update when mix challenges were still a thing and cheer mode didn't exist | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dreamyinception-world · 3 years

Text

Black and Blue: Chapter 2 [REUPLOAD]

Genre: College!AU + Sugar Daddy/Sugar Baby!AU, Con Artist!AU, Smut, Angst, Light Fluff

WC// 5.4k

[18+ content ahead, please read with caution]

Tags: Con Artists, Smut, Mental Health Issues, Stalking, Financial Instability, Established Sexual Relations, Blood, Gore, Violence, Sugar Baby, Sugar Daddy, Rimming, Blow Jobs,

Summary: Everybody has their own secrets, some more damning and horrifying than the rest. For college best friends San, Wooyoung and Yeosang, their personal lives are nothing less than intense with each other's pasts crossing into their present day lives. All three of them are desperate for a life in which they will all finally have some peace and stability. The question is: how far are they willing to take it?

---- Previous chapter ---- ----- Next Chapter -----

[I have to create a new taglist so if you would like to be added, please feel free to message me and let me know. **Please be noted that no minors/underage people will be added to the taglist. Most of my work is 18+. If I find out you asked and you are underage, you will be blocked, no warning given**]

~writer's note~: hello hello everyone! this is a reupload of my series from the @deepnesta account of my series, with a poster change and a more updated summary. the genre tags will be updated as time goes on (because i suck at those anyway). i will be reuploading all of the chapters in bulk before adding new chapters into the mix. please be on the look out for those and i hope you enjoy!

|| Chapters will change in terms of POV/focus unless specifically stated. Enjoy!||

©dreamyinception-world/deepnesta 2022 || please do not repost or use any of my work without my permission. Thank you ♡

It had been a while since San met him.

Jung Yunho, one of the youngest entrepreneurs of their generation. Born and raised by wealthy business people himself, Yunho lived a rather well off lifestyle at a young age. He didn’t necessarily have to work hard for any of the things he wanted, speaking that he would just inherit it all by the time his father was ready to pass it on to him.

However, Yunho didn’t like that. He didn’t want things simply handed over to him just because he could have it. He liked challenges and was determined in getting what he wanted through the right means.

His parents seemed to be against it at first, Yunho’s mother especially, who saw trouble in the future for her son if he didn't have the right guiding hand. On the other hand, his father saw it as a way for him to build character, rid himself of his spoiled nature, and gain respect from others around him. He possibly saw a bit of himself in Yunho and sought to not let anyone get in the way of his son’s powerful ambitions.

Since the age of 17, Yunho worked towards a project that he had been dreaming about since he was in middle school. A holographic transporting device that could be used to produce live feed from any location in the world. He thought of the idea after his teacher had gotten injured and wasn’t able to come to class to teach. The students in Yunho’s class hated substitutes and wished that there was a way that their teacher could teach from home as if they were still in the classroom.

Combining his skills with technology, animation and graphics, Yunho created an almost perfect blueprint for his device, advancing on it when he reached the end of his high school year and pitching the idea to corporations by the time he graduated. He used his dad’s connections to his advantage in being able to get the product out as fast as he could.

Now, age 21, he is one of the richest businessmen in Korea.

And a sugar daddy to San.

The two met when they were both 18. San, not coming from such a lucky background as the other, was struggling to be able to come up with the money to afford college. Living with his single mother, he knew that if he didn’t come up with the sum for the first semester, he wouldn’t be able to attend college for who knows how long.

To say the least, he became desperate. So, he went searching for a sugar daddy on a website his friends told him about, finding a young Yunho and matching with him instantly.

You could say Yunho felt a bit of sympathy for San, being that he himself always had money even when he didn’t need it, to spend however he wanted to. His parents wouldn’t notice him transferring money anyway, they never paid attention.

It started off with small amounts before getting bigger over time, depending on how much San needed. He would transfer the money and that was it, up until about a year into their transactional relationship.

Yunho, extremely stressed from all the work he had been doing, was desperate for some kind of connection. He didn’t have many friends, due to how much he worked and the jealousy of others, that you could say San was his only companion, albeit tied through money.

He asked to meet and the two spent hours together. Both seemed to be going through a rough patch, coincidentally, at the same exact time. Which made it all the more easy to relieve each other’s tension at once.

That’s how San ended up in this position, waiting inside of the lobby of an extravagant hotel, for the man that made his mind go completely blank since the first time they met.

He crossed and uncrossed his legs in pure nervousness, eyes scaling the high golden ceilings that sparkled in the dim lights. They danced and winked at every angle. Although this had been going on for years, the two of them being regulars at this hotel, San couldn’t help the amazement on his face at the sheer beauty of the place.

It hadn’t changed, only the faces that graced the premise. San’s face still felt hot every time.

“San?” A sweet voice came lingering behind him, making San’s whole body tense up momentarily. He couldn’t place why he was so nervous, not being able to get up and turn around to see Yunho’s face. Something in him caused a small lump to form in his throat. Before he could think to somehow maneuver his body to get up and greet the man properly, Yunho already moved himself in front of San, kneeling down to eye level.

San’s eyes widened almost instantly, flickering back and forth and scanning Yunho’s whole face. He never forgot that the tall man was handsome, in fact he could barely get the man’s image out of his head sometimes. But, something about him today made San feel even weaker than he did when he arrived 15 minutes ago.

Yunho’s deep chocolate hair was swooped back out of his face, two stray pieces hanging down in the front. He had a light amount of makeup on, he must have had a meeting today, but most of it looked as if it had been brushed off already. His face looked more structured and built then it had in the past, his overall physique matching alongside his muscular hands. With his tie slightly pulled away from his neck, collar popped, San felt like his whole person had been shoved into an oven.

Yunho cocked his head a bit to the side, the corner of his lip pulling up a bit. His hand rested firmly on San’s knee, squeezing it lightly when he flinched. “How am I already losing you this early, hm? Come back” He managed to pull San out of his trace with the last sentence, causing a small laugh to come out of Yunho’s mouth at the flustered look on the boy’s face.

“S-Sorry” San stood up, waiting for Yunho to raise to full height.

“I don’t have a lot of time today, probably an hour or so before I’ll have to head back. I cancelled one of my meetings to make sure that I could stay with you a bit longer.” Yunho tucked his black satin blazer, looking expensive from the way it crinkled, under his arm, putting one hand into his pocket. San just simply stared and nodded slowly, trying to not gawk at the man’s body again.

They stared at each other for what felt like a few minutes. Anyone who passed by would have looked at them in curiosity, maybe even confusion. It’s as if they were having a secret conversation that nobody could decipher. All that they could manage to see was the way San shifted the weight of his feet, a small bit of his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. Yunho reached for his hand and rubbed it lightly between his bigger ones.

“Should we go? S-Since you said you don’t have a lot of time. Probably shouldn’t waste it just standing here…” San was the first one to break the silence, voice trailing off a bit. Yunho didn’t respond verbally, only sliding his arm around San’s small waist and moving him towards the elevator. The latter vibrated the whole way, not knowing what to expect after so long of being distant.

~x~

After a relatively long morning of classes, Yeosang could not wait to go to lunch. He had forgotten to eat breakfast this morning from oversleeping, something abnormal for him. He probably endured a little too much stress yesterday.

No matter, nothing he couldn’t settle with a decent lunch.

He looked over the options on the tiny menu in front of the entrance to the cafeteria area. At the same time, one of his coworkers and classmates, Lia, skipped up and bumped into Yeosang playfully, giggling when he became a bit startled.

“You’re so jumpy, oppa. Calm down, it’s just me.”

“Well, not many people come up to me with the intent to scare me.” He sassed, trying not to laugh along with her as he held his chin up high.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be more gentle next time” This time Yeosang couldn’t hold back his laugh, shoving Lia lightly with his body before they walked together into the big open eating area.

Yeosang settled for Korean curry rice, Lia with eomuk guk, rice and radish kimchi. After finding a table in the back center of the room and settling down, Lia looked at Yeosang with a bit of worry on her face. She took small bites of her food, almost debating if she should speak up about something that she’s been thinking about. She put her spoon down lightly.

“Oppa?”

“Hm?” Yeosang looked up a bit, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

“Chansung-nim told me that you left early yesterday, said that you didn’t feel well after a session with one of your students. Is everything okay?”

Yeosang stared at Lia for a moment, diverting his eyes back down to his food, mixing the curry lightly with his spoon. “Ah, maybe I’ve been a little too stressed lately. With helping so many people, I think I just forget to help myself sometimes” He smiled sheepishly. Lia narrowed her eyes, picking up her spoon and pointing it right at him.

“You’re not lying to me right?” Yeosang chuckled lightly at the girl’s facial expression and tone, picking up a big spoon of food towards his mouth before he froze. Out of his peripherals, he could see a tall figure walking in his direction with a few people next to him. The sound of Lia’s voice turned to a hum, a small ringing filling Yeosang’s ears as he met eyes with Mingi. He could feel the man’s anger from where he was sitting, wanting to run away if he could but not wanting to cause sudden worry for Lia. Yeosang put his head down, shoveling food into his mouth, food gathering in the corners.

“Yeosang, what’s wrong-”

“Sorry to interrupt” The tone of Mingi’s voice sounded a bit...off. He bared the same smile from when they were in the study room together, forced. It looked as if he had just had something disgusting to drink, having to fake liking it in order to not upset the environment in the room. Lia looked up, a bit startled to see Mingi there. “Yeosang, I saw today that my spot was filled up for some reason. I thought I had scheduled it last night but suddenly the time slot is filled”.

Condescending. What he really meant was, why the fuck is my time slot filled, nobody takes my damn time slot.

“You must have forgotten to confirm the time.” Yeosang kept his eyes down, speaking with a mouth full of food.

“No, I don’t think I did. There must be some sort of mistake.” The blonde could hear the slight grind in Mingi’s teeth from where he was. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up tall, small goosebumps lingering on his skin.

“Well, if there was a mistake in the system, you have to go talk about it with the organization head. I’m not from the IT department so..” Yeosang’s head lifted, a bit of snarkiness to the end of his words that made Mingi’s eyes slightly widen in surprise. His eyes fell down on the tall boy’s hand, flexing lightly from the grip that was suddenly against the corner of the cafeteria table. Lia looked between the two of them, eyes flipping back and forth before she cleared her throat.

“Well, I might actually have a small time slot open today that you could come in and work with me for a bit before my next appointment-”

“No!” Yeosang squawked a little too loudly, causing both of them and some others from the surrounding table to look at him. He shrunk a bit in his seat, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear before letting out a nervous laugh. “I-I meant that the head has a strict no ‘on the spot’ appointments since we’ve been so booked the last few weeks, remember?” He was praying in the back of his head that things would click for her quickly.

“Ah..that’s right. I forgot they made that announcement last week” Lia frowned lightly, turning to the eldest boy with a sad face that if he had been interested in her, he would probably die over. “I’m sorry, I’m sure they’ll be able to help you get in contact with someone else and schedule you for another time today if you go and talk to them.”

Mingi slowly nodded, giving both of them a small smile before motioning towards his friends to move away from the table to go get their food. His friends all glanced at Yeosang before following shortly behind him.

The blonde finally felt like he could breathe properly after the tall man’s aura had dispersed and left with him. He let out a small breath and put down his spoon, running his hand through his hair. When his fingers met his scalp, he cringed lightly. Sweat.

“Oppa, are you okay? You look a little sick.” Lia bent her head down to get a better look at the boy’s face, the contact of the back of her hand to his forehead making him startle. He looked up at her as she put her other hand against her own forehead. “Mm, you feel a bit warm. Maybe you should-”

“I’ll be fine, Lia. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Is that person bothering you? You seemed a bit tense when he showed up.”

Curse her perceptive eyes, damn.

Yeosang smiled lightly, taking her hand into his own, tapping it lightly. “No, of course not. Everything’s fine. You have more things on your plate to be concerned about than me. If something is going on, I’ll tell you.”

Lia squinted her eyes, holding up her pinky like a child would. “Promise?”

Yeosang’s eyes shook a bit, looking at her small finger and forcing a smile. Wrapping his around her own, he looked into her eyes, feeling a bit more tired.

“Promise.”

~x~

Once the bell rang, Wooyoung was the first one out of his class, looking damn near like a zombie. His eye bags seemed to have darkened a bit more since before he came, he didn’t have to see them to know this. A large huff escaped from him as he looked towards the time. His next class wouldn’t be for another hour and a half.

Maybe I’ll have time to go and get some food off campus, he thought to himself. His stomach seemed to like that idea, moving in the direction of the university’s east campus exit.

The east gate side of the school was packed with people, a mix of college students, families and people who looked as if they had just gotten off work. Wooyoung weaved his way through the crowd, smiling and dismissing old ladies on the street passing out coupons. He was almost tempted by one of them, being for a cold noodle restaurant that he loved but kept walking. He really didn’t have much time to sit down and wait, he had to get back or else he would get another tardy. So, he opted for convenience store food. He would eat something better later with the boys tonight.

Pulling the door open, he went to the farthest isle from the entrance. His eyes scanned the array of foods that were available for his picking. Triangle kimbap? Hamburger? Ramen? Maybe just a rice bowl? Wooyoung settled for the hamburger, it would fill him for a longer amount of time until tonight.

He picked up a juice box plus some fruit on the way before walking to the area where all the frozen desserts are. He scanned the options, picking out an ice cream sandwich for Yeosang. But, he couldn’t seem to find the popsicle he was looking for for himself. His eyes narrowed, scanning through again before he spotted one left on the other side of the fridge.

“Yes!” He said silently to himself, going over and pulling the sliding handle to the side. As his hand came in contact with one corner of the popsicle, another hand grabbed the other side at the same time. He grumbled in his mind, ready to pull away since his hand touched it first until he looked up at the person.

The boy in front of him had on an oversized hoodie and jacket on, a pair of small rounded rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, his forest green hair falling slightly over the top of the frames. His mask was tucked neatly under his chin.

“Ah, sorry, haha.”

“No no! Here.” Wooyoung pushed the popsicle in his direction. The hell am I doing, I wanted that.

“No, you take it. You reached for it before me.” The boy said sheepishly, pulling the top of his mask over his mouth. Wooyoung hesitated, tempted every so slightly before he chuckled and picked up the treat, putting it into the boy’s hand. He grabbed a plain vanilla cone from the tray next to it, even though he wasn’t entirely a fan of the regular vanilla flavor from GS25, but stifled his gripe when he saw the way the boy’s eyes lit up.

“It’s okay, I can take another flavor. Trust me.” Even though I really fucking wanted it but whatever, he’s cute. The boy looked down at the popsicle, a bit stunned before he looked back up at Wooyoung, his eyes sparkling a bit.

Why was he looking at him like that? It’s only a popsicle. Wooyoung began to get a little flustered, clearing his throat before closing the sliding panel.

“Anyway, enjoy the popsicle” He pivoted and went to the register, his face burning a bit.

He placed his food down on the counter, reaching into his backpack pocket to get out his wallet when his hand hit dead space. Eyes widening, he pulled his backpack up a bit higher and dug around inside the pocket. Realization after a few minutes of rummaging hit him, letting a small groan out from his throat.

His beautiful fake leather wallet was sitting, in all of its glory, on the counter at his apartment.

“Great” Wooyoung sighed, opening his mouth to tell the cashier that he doesn’t have money to pay for it when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He tensed lightly against the person’s touch, turning to see it was the guy from earlier with those cute glasses. He gave him a small smile and moved to stand next to him, telling the cashier he’ll pay for the food. Wooyoung opened his mouth to protest but was hit with the boy’s smile and gaze again that shut him up almost instantly. Just let him do it, a voice in the back of his head mumbled.

“Ah, thank you again. I’m sorry you had to pay for that. I must have left my wallet at my apartment” Wooyoung sheepishly rubbed his shoulder, looking around to try to avoid looking into the green-haired boy’s eyes. The other only reacted with a small laugh, patting his arm lightly.

“It’s alright, it happens all the time. Take this as a thank you for letting me have the last one?” He tilted his head to the side, flashing that sweet smile that made Wooyoung’s heart lurch slightly. The black haired boy nodded lightly, feeling his ears get a bit warm. His eyes trailed down and looked at his watch. He had only 35 minutes until his next class to eat and get the ice cream to Yeosang before it melts.

“Yeah, sure. Sorry to have to cut this short but, I’ll be late for class if I don’t leave now so” Wooyoung gave a small respectful bow, baring a small smile before he waved and ran across the street as the light turned before the boy could say anything else to him. The green-haired watched him run off, smiling a little and shaking his head before going up the other end of the street.

Wooyoung shook his head, a wide smile threatening to appear on his face as he continued to run. He was really that flustered by some convenience store boy with round glasses.

~x~

“F-Fuck.”

Soft panting and moans could be heard from one side of the room, a heavy exhale followed by a lewd sucking noise followed shortly after.

“Y-Yunho.”

Another loud slurp, drawing out a broken moan and whimper.

San’s fingers gripped tightly onto the already wrinkled bed sheets, knuckles turning white as he lowered his head. His whole upper body was glistening with a light layer of sweat. Further down his thighs were shaking, pushed hard into the sheets as the deep chocolate haired man bobbed his head back and forth between his cheeks. Yunho’s muscular hands kept a hard hold on San’s hips as the boy tried to edge away, slowly dragging his tongue against the rim of the boy’s hole.

“Don’t run from me, Sanie. You know I have to prep you properly” His voice sounded sultry and low to San’s ears, though he could barely hear with his own heartbeat blocking out some of the sound. Instead of words, the boy let out a shaky whimper, biting the corner of his lips. Taking that as an okay, Yunho continued his actions, pulling out more heavy moans from San’s mouth.

His hands tightened possessively, letting his tongue slide slowly past one ring and then two until half of his tongue was seated into a burning hot area of heat and need. He pushed his tongue in and out slowly, hearing San gasp. The sounds coming from behind him were downright pornographic, the slick sound of the taller boy’s tongue making San’s legs shake even more than they already were.

Once he found San opening up a bit more, Yunho began pushing his tongue in and out in a quick pace, the boy’s lower body arching higher.

“Y-Yunho please..” San reached back and gripped onto the boy’s arm, letting his head fall and meet the pillow underneath him. The brunette slowed down, taking a deep slurp and digging his nails into San’s hips when the boy whined. Finally, he pulled back completely, licking his lips. A long middle finger ran along the rim, a small hum leaving Yunho’s lips.

“Please what?”

“Please fuck me, please. You’re driving me crazy.”

Granted, Yunho had been edging San on for the past 30 minutes. The boy and his body had been through hell since they entered the room. A cock ring nestled around a small patch of hair at the base of his dick, the whole member was red and burning lightly to the touch, dribbles of precum leaking from it onto the sheet.

Yunho leaned his frame over San’s, encasing the boy completely in his body. San moved himself only slightly, pushing himself against the tall man. Yunho encircled his hand around and pulled San up a bit by his throat. “Do you think you’ve been a good boy that you deserve me inside of you?” Though he already knew the answer to this question, he waited.

“Yes..” San spoke softly, losing his mind and sense of reality just from the boy’s voice alone.

“Are you going to take me well, Sanie?”

“I’ll take all of you, please...Y-Yunho”

Despite all of the kinky things that Yunho was into, he opted to put San on his back. This surprised the younger, he’s usually put on his stomach or side or against any piece of furniture. However, he didn’t have much time to process it before Yunho’s body encased him again, looking down at him.

When San met his eyes, there was something in them that stunned him. Somewhere, inside the brunette’s lust filled ones, he swore for a second he saw something endearing or loving inside of them. It was only for a second but it caused San to subconsciously put his arms around Yunho’s neck, pulling him down a bit more. The corner of the tall boy’s mouth pulled upward, resting his hands on San’s waist and rubbing them gently.

“Let me know if I’m hurting you” he breathed out softly, San nodding in response.

San fought his hardest to keep his eyes open as the man slowly pushed into him, not sure if it was from wanting to see Yunho’s facial expression or not wanting to lose sight of what was happening in front of him. He quickly tossed the idea to the side once Yunho was half way seated inside of him.

Bless the menstrations or else this would have hurt a lot more.

“Are you okay?”

“Keep...keep going.”

Yunho slowly kept moving forward until their hips finally met, letting out a short and small huff before looking up at San. He almost lost it when he saw that San’s lips were slightly parted, a small tinge of red from their kissing earlier and his bangs were wet, sticking to his forehead roughly. His normally brown eyes were tinted completely black, running a hand through Yunho’s hair, startling him a bit with his beauty.

“What are you waiting for, hm?” He teased, clenching around him lightly.

Yunho bent his head a bit and let out a small chuckle, licking his lips before tossing one of San’s legs over his shoulder. He silently thanked the boy for being so flexible that he could bend him any way he wanted to without worry of hurting him at all.

He started with deep and slow thrusts, his huffing and groaning mixing with San’s light panting and small whines. He would pull himself out most of the way before slowly pushing back, groaning more at the way San sucked him back in. It wasn’t long before both of them began to get bored with the pace, if the smaller’s subtle push of Yunho’s butt with his languid foot was anything to go by.

“Sorry, did you want something?” The smug look across Yunho’s face made the fire in San’s stomach explode with want. He pulled the brunette hard by his shoulders with a small smirk.

“Yes, I want you to fuck me like you mean it” San lightly bit on the bottom of Yunho’s lip, drawing a small grunt from his mouth. “Come on, baby. We’re not teenagers anymore. Fuck me how you really want to”.

That tone triggered something within Yunho, making him pull up San’s other leg and go at a jackrabbit’s pace. San’s eyes shot open, head thrashed back against the pillow. He reached forward and grabbed his legs from Yunho’s grasp, pulling them back more so that he could see every movement, thrust, and hit of Yunho’s hips against the lower half of his body. His ears began to ring lightly as the man went even faster with San only being able to comprehend that his mouth was hanging open but not with the noise that was coming out of it.

It wasn’t until Yunho hit dead on a specific spot that San lurched forward, hearing himself gasp loudly before he fell back on the bed hard. The reaction made Yunho chuckle lowly, hitting that spot with sharp, hard thrusts, watching San’s eyes roll and body jerk with each one. He took the opportunity to bend San’s lower body more slightly by pushing on his thighs, somehow burying himself deeper into the whimpering boy.

San bit his lips a little hard, muffling his third dry orgasm, not wanting the other to know that he had cum two other times that night. He knew he wasn’t allowed to cum until Yunho was ready to give it to him.

Thankfully, for him, his dry orgasm had made him squeeze so hard around Yunho that he let out a deep groan. He quickly pulled out of San and moved around to the side of the bed, the boy’s mouth open and ready for him. With a swift motion, Yunho pushed his dick all the way to the back of San’s throat, watching it bulge a bit.

It only took one hard suck and bob to have Yunho milked completely into the boy’s throat, heaving out a hard breath once he was completely spent.

“Fuck, you still have one hell of a mouth” Yunho breathed out, pushing his sweaty hair back out of his face while leaning back on his heels. San rested his head back for a bit, feeling his whole body vibrating.

“I sure do. But, the real question is, do you?” He turned and looked over at Yunho with his sharp feline eyes, a devious look on his face. Yunho let out a small laugh before he moved over and laid himself in between San’s legs.

He ran his fingers over the protruding veins of San’s dick, wrapping his large fingers around the base before looking back up at San, seeing the boy’s breath hitch lightly just from the contact alone. Yunho let out a small hum, running a fat stripe up the side before kissing the fiery red tip of the boy’s dick.

“I don’t know, you tell me” With one swift hand movement, the cock ring was flung across the room. San’s eyes looked as if they were going to bug out of his head as he gripped Yunho’s hair, praying to anything he believed in when he saw the hungry look in the boy’s eyes. With one light suck to the tip of his dick, San was already arching his back, letting out a silent scream.

But Yunho had no plans of stopping there.

He alternated between coating each side of San’s dick with his spit and sucking off him noisily. San’s whole body shook and thrashed violently, pulling and bobbing Yunho’s head when he swallowed him into his mouth. San choked and let out a high pitched gasp before his first orgasm came. Splatters landed onto Yunho’s nose, cheeks, mouth, and chin before he sucked San back into his mouth, taking the rest in so they wouldn’t make a huge mess on the bed.

By the time he had milked San completely for everything that he had, the latter was super sensitive, jolting hard when Yunho kissed the tip and again when his body lightly brushed against it. The two shared a lazy kiss, swapping the tastes of each others’ cum between their tongues with breathy moans. A string of spit connected their lips when they pulled away from each other.

San could barely see, his vision getting blurry as exhaustion fell over him. He wasn’t sure why his appearance made Yunho chuckle but he couldn’t process anything enough to care or even investigate. All he knew was the comforter that was placed over him was warm and that he would be knocked out as soon as he closed his eyes. Before he did though, he felt a soft kiss to his forehead, making him whimper a bit and sweet words whispered against it.

“Sleep well, Sanie.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Taglist~

@atiny-piratequeen

13 notes · View notes

worldburnrp · 3 years

Photo

“It was a maddening image —

Little by little, the rooftop space filled up with guests. It’s impossible for a rum-sponsored party not to turn lively; and certainly, it has. While some are happy with their drinks and stay in the venue, drinking and dancing their spirits away — others choose to venture out, either returning to their rooms or getting lost in the maze that are the corridors of The Mark hotel.

In either case, the night is light and young, and there’s not a worry in their minds.

Little do they know however, that in the shadows, the Syndicate awaits.

— and the only way to whip it was to hang on until dusk —

Although the night had been planned to exhaustion, it’d been all but a coincidence that the operation had fallen on the same date as the party launch. It’s a blessing, at the same time that it’s a curse; more people circulating the area isn’t ideal — but a sea of potential issues isn’t so much so, if they’re impaired to begin with.

130 million dollars, gone up in flames. But they ought to make their money back, somehow.

So here the Syndicate hides, and at around 10:30, they strike. Swift and professional as ever, they go completely unnoticed — and they will take all that they can.

A highly effective heist, right under their noses. Those 130 million earned back in just a night.

No wild cards, no action that isn’t necessary, were the instructions given. Money, jewelry, art, anything of true value — that’s what they’re after. Designed as a victimless crime as far as bloodshed goes, the Syndicate still accounts for all. No issue, lest you get in their way.

— and banish the ghosts with rum.”

Unfortunately however, some unlucky few have. As instructed, should anyone be a concern, be it that they’re found in their rooms or other areas in the midst of the operation — they should be neutralized, by whatever means necessary. All with still keeping their anonymity, and succeeding at their tasks.

The pairs that have crossed paths are:

Ludovica Malatesta and Rus Ralston

Nora Vidal and Lee Malkovich

Zafar and Mathias Cain

Vir Zafar and Ibrahim Ziani

Abel Rousseau and Nik Erykssen

Oliver Wright and Jin Yoo

Tima El-Masri and Audra Smythe-Priestley

Avi Grover and Samar Burman

Max Szczesny and Enzo Principe

Karolina Erykssen and Samar Burman

OOC Info:

Part Two out of Three.

Part two will run for a few days, to allow for everyone to comfortably write their interactions in time; an update will be made both on the blog and discord for subsequent parts.

There is no requirement that people drop previous event threads set during Part 1 — but we encourage everyone to prioritize Part 2. This can be either through new fresh threads, or shifting your Part 1 thread into Part 2.

For characters not involved in the conflict, there are no restrictions to replying to starters (or continuing things) from Part 1, unless they were posted by someone, or are written with someone involved in the conflict. In that case, those starters may no longer be replied to. You’re also free to start any new things with other non-conflict characters as you wish.

If you wish to have any injuries (be them major or minor) or heavy impacting plots happen involving your character, please contact the admins so we can include it into the narrative.

Those in the conflict are encouraged to come up with scenarios where, mid-robbery, one would have the other held hostage. Be it at a hotel room, in some hidden office, or anywhere that is far from view and where there would be plenty to steal. They’re on a mission, after all. As always, if you have trouble coming up with ideas, the admins are always willing to help.

At the end of this post, we offer challenges to the guests. However, those are simply suggested interactions — and even if you choose to write it, your character is not limited to just writing those.

SYNDICATE CHARACTERS:

[ ALL SYNDICATE MEMBERS ARE WEARING NEUTRAL BLACK CLOTHING AND MASKS. IF THEIR CLOTHES WEREN’T NEUTRAL AT THE PARTY, THEN AT THIS POINT THEY WOULD HAVE CHANGED. NOTHING ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE (THAT THEY CAN CONTROL) SHOULD BE RECOGNIZABLE. EVEN IF ENCOUNTERING SOMEONE THEY HAVE MET BEFORE, THEY ARE TOLD TO KEEP THEIR IDENTITIES SECRET TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES. ]

For Syndicate members especially, Part 2 should be prioritized so that plots can flow easily.

If you have Part 1 threads, we won’t ask that you drop them, but that you work your way into finishing them — with your characters, above all, keeping in mind that they have a job to do. It might be a night of fun for everyone else, but not them.

From now on, you can only interact with other Syndicate members, or the character you were paired with.

You can write as many mid-robbery threads with your fellow Syndicate members as your heart desires. Interactions amongst them are allowed, and absolutely encouraged!

As far as the rest of the party goes, you may only interact with the character yours was paired with, as one is the other’s hostage.

Your character should be focused in the robbery itself and collecting valuable goods. Anyone they’ve encountered is damage control.

Important: this is meant to be an incredibly secretive and smooth operation. Get in, get out, without causing disturbance. The main party should not have any inkling or knowledge that this is happening.

POINTS AND CHALLENGES:

Syndicate members and conflict volunteers will each earn 20 points for writing their paired threads. (It doesn’t matter if one character ‘wrote’ the starter; both members will be awarded points.)

All remaining characters will earn 20 points for completing the challenges prompted below. They are not mandatory, but we will reward you if you choose to go forth with them.

The points above will be awarded at the end of the event, to account for any starters going unanswered or quickly dropped, as we wish to be as fair as possible.

Surprise! We’re also rewarding conflict volunteers with 30 points for being wonderful team players and allowing us to use their characters for this plot. We adore you and appreciate you, so here’s a small gesture to reflect that!

CHALLENGES:

Jennifer Callaghan recognizes Izaak Walker from his internet presence, and attempts to strike an interview, or even a comment. Izaak knows it’s unadvisable to go forth with it, given all the rum ingested tonight.

Andrea Galán has been avoiding Aaron Keaton, until they cross paths. There’s an inkling or knowledge of her involvement with crime, and tensions rise.

Gideon Hayes is spotted by an off duty Joaquim Borges whilst trying to deal — be it to a random guest, or worst yet, the very detective himself.

Danvir Persaud thinks he recognizes Laith Hassan, from briefly crossing paths in the law-and-lawful world. There’s no reason for a sketch artist and a lawyer to engage however, until now — that they’re both trying to get a vending machine to work.

Renata Cervantes-Müller and Úrsula Villa are both powerful women in their own right — except that they share far different ideals, and defend different people. It’s been easy to avoid one another thus far, until the elevator doors fail, locking them in.

A dentist and the state’s most prominent politician walk into a... bathroom. It’s a classic, slightly awkward, run-in. Except this time, it involves Nicholas Bergeron — and Julian Berkeley.

Jakob Cervantes-Müller is a busy man, and the things keeping him busy aren’t the kindest. For prevention (and future endeavors), he needs a lawyer — and he’s heard Adam Starke is one of the best. What a coincidence, that their drinks just got mixed up at the bar.

Constance Romero, the Cartel’s informant manager, is always on the lookout for future contacts. Like some other select people, she’d heard of Lev Movska’s defection from The Brotherhood — and hell if she isn’t going to try and get all of that knowledge into archive for them. The enemy of my enemy, as they say.

With too much rum in their system, Lola Villarin and Diego Romero end up wandering — testing every other room for unlocked doors. Eventually, they make it into a suite; it’s all fun and games, until the lock won’t allow them back out.

Hazel Arthur and Ryan Fitzgerald barely look at each other, when touching up their make-up in the lobby’s bathroom. But they have to acknowledge each other’s presence when they realize they’re locked in — and Hazel hasn’t heard back from her partner in far too long.

They’d both had the same idea — the hotel’s fire escape as the perfect spot for a smoke break. Hans Starke and Zuleika Sandoval are now forced to share the space (that both claim to have found first).

Bob Bekker and Aera Paek, different positions at different publications. One man with success in his horizon, and a woman who can grant anyone it. It’s a throw-away conversation until the words fact checker come to rise. The best paper, after all, is the most accurate one — would this man do her the favor of failing, in exchange for a brighter future?

Araceli Aguilar suddenly stops Heather Hyeon Seo in the middle of the lobby, with an unwarranted prediction of her future. Even if Heather doesn’t believe in it, it’s intriguing enough that she must hear more.

Rahi Kumar is well known for his love of the sky, preferring to gaze upwards towards the heavens; it is this exact preference, that sends him careening into Andel Kenza, who scurries away from a main party room, clutching what appears to be an empty bottle of rum, a strange substance congealed on its base. The pair stare at another another - a stalemate.

Erin Katz was never a woman to wait for opportunity to simply knock on her door - she prefers to kick it in herself, a stiletto crashing through wooden panels. JJ Baptiste is a man who can make or break you in this city, and with the intriguing wallet she’s just found on the floor, she thinks she’s got enough leverage to earn his ear as he lords over a table in the back of the bar.

Moon Subin is currently scouting the media world, looking for new voices to either support his agenda in the press — or to simply gain insight. It’s unclear which Maureen Keaton could be, yet... but it’s worth a try.

FINAL NOTES

1 — If by any chance your pairing partner, or your challenge partner doesn’t get back to you — please contact the main page and we will rearrange things so that you may still write it! No one will be left without some event fun, we promise.

2 — If you’ve missed the window to volunteer your character for conflict, or you have joined recently and didn’t know about it, you can shoot the main page a message and we will do our very best to include you into the action. Only main page messages, please — as Discord will be hard to keep track of.

3 — As always, the admins are only a message away should you have any questions.

Part 2 interactions are now open. Have fun!

#wb.event #event.hotel #oc rp #crime rp #worldburnrp

16 notes · View notes

lollytea · 3 years

Note

If you don't mind, do you have any more Shere Khan and or Bagheera headcannons you would like to share?

DO I???

(You are so welcome!! I get so excited whenever somebody shows an interest in shagheera cuz of me. I live for it!!

I have like a truckload of headcanons about their past and present but I’m saving them for this fic once I get into the mindset to get back to it. Soon I’m hoping! BUT I’ve always thought way too much about Bagheera and Khan so I probably have plenty of rambly thoughts I can talk about!)

— Bagheera was raised by his mother and, to an extent, his great grandfather. Great gramps was ancient and couldn’t really do much to care for a child, other than sit in his chair and entertain the little one with stories of his life back in India. Bagheera would listen, enthralled. Bagheera idolized his great grandfather.

— The world hadn’t been very nice to Bagheera’s mother so, as a result, she kept her child sheltered. She coddled him, fussed over him and was overprotective to a fault. This led to Bagheera being a gentle, skittish, naive and high strung boy.

— He got the biggest whiplash of his life when he started school and realized that other boys were not like him. They were loud, rowdy, nonchalantly rude and played rough. Bagheera struggled a little at first but he eventually adapted, mirroring the ways of other kids so he would fit in better. It was during this time that Bagheera’s personality really began to define itself. He was painfully aware that he was small for his age, clumsy and not very fast or strong and he developed quite a complex about it. But it wouldn’t be forever. He had every intention to improve himself in that department. For the time being, he attempted to compensate with a sharp tongue and a hot temper.

— Shere Khan had been raised with his future already decided for him. Since he could walk, he had been told that he would inherit the family’s business empire and he held a lot of pride in that. However when you allow a child to mentally develop with the knowledge that one day they will basically rule the whole universe, (at least it feels like that when you’re so small and are too immature to fully grasp the reality of your future) it may do some permanent damage to that child’s psyche.

— Shere Khan was spoiled, doted on, put a pedestal, had his parents singing his praises. As their only child and heir, of course he was to be treated like he was special. Because he was. Shere Khan was special. Until he wasn’t.

— If you struggle with your studies, you’re too stupid to inherit the family fortune. If you get upset and cry, you’re too weak willed to inherit the family fortune. If you’re not good at everything you do, you’re not as brilliant as we thought you were. Years and years of mixed messages results in a child who doesn’t know for certain if he’s the most talented boy in the world or if he’s completely worthless. It’s the uncertainty that causes such instability. Shere Khan is cocky, smug, arrogant, a perfectionist, cagey, confrontational, competitive, hellbent on proving he’s the best and terrified of ever being seen as weak.

— Bagheera has had a fascination with books since he first learned to read. Unfortunately your literary options are scarce when you’re dirt poor but he does what he can. He frequents the neighborhood’s tiny library even if it’s limited, he’s reread the books he does own to the point he has them memorized and he collects newspapers and magazines to obtain as much knowledge as he can. Occasionally he’ll gather newspaper clippings of current events and make his own “history books.”

— Shere Khan is deeply interested in botany, though he really doesn’t have the time to focus on it with the overload of other subjects he’s obliged to perfect. His grandma gifted him a selection of bulbs and he likes to grow flowers on his windowsill. He’s extremely proud of his plant work. But that’s a secret shh.

— Bagheera and Shere Khan are almost equally matched academically, with Khan inching just a little ahead. However it’s clear from the start that while Khan is the sharper of the two, he can’t compare to the genuine passion Bagheera has for learning. Despite their smarts, the two boys aren’t really liked by teachers. They and their other four friends are incorrigible troublemakers, with Shere Khan being the most disruptive of them all. And while Bagheera can’t help but be dragged in, he does try to behave himself sometimes. Unfortunately he’s constantly getting in trouble for drawing in his notebook.

— There are a lot of bad aspects of this friendship. Shere Khan is prone to flippant insults and Bagheera’s self esteem is shaky enough as it is. There are times when Shere Khan makes Bagheera feel terrible about himself. And though Shere Khan doesn’t understand the extent of Bagheera’s feelings, he knows he’s making him feel inferior. And he leeches off that insecurity to assure himself of his own superiority. Shere Khan probably wouldn’t be half as annoyingly egotistical if it weren’t for Bagheera.

— However, as time goes on, this more malicious side of things starts to fade into a complicated yet comfortable companionship. It’s odd. Everyone agrees that it’s odd. While the antagonistic vibe never quite goes away, with the two constantly challenging eachother, there are days where they get along fine. It depends on their respective moods. One day, Shere Khan would hassle Bagheera until a fight breaks out and the very next day, they could chat with eachother for hours about their favourite novels and the day after that, there’s a reasonable middle ground of jokingly teasing eachother. No one understands it. Shere Khan and Bagheera never even notice that this is peculiar. It’s just their normal.

— Shere Khan and his family would usually leave for a few weeks every year to stay at their summer home. Bagheera would write him letters to keep him updated on the lives of himself, Baloo, Louie, Haithi and Kaa. Half of Khan’s responses were irritable that Bagheera was pestering him with messages, while the other half was listing words that Bagheera had misspelled. One year he returned a week after Bagheera’s birthday and passed him a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. It was a pocket dictionary. Shere Khan framed it as condescending, since Bagheera liked big words so much but was so terrible at spelling. He certainly hadn’t expected Bagheera to be as delighted with the gift as he was. But he found himself proud that he had given it to him.

— As opposed to their other friends, Shere Khan and Bagheera were fond of the night. They would often sneak out after dark and meet up for walks around the city. Sometimes they’d talk about everything and nothing, sometimes they would argue and sometimes they would say nothing at all. But they enjoyed it. Both felt the need to wander late at night and neither wanted to do it alone.

— Bagheera really started to grow as a person during his time in flight school. He made plenty of friends, grew in confidence, expanded his knowledge and had the support of his best friend, Baloo through all of it. He also learned some things about himself, which goes without saying. He hadn’t seen Shere Khan in years but upon a little reflection, realizes with amusement and a little embarrassment that his admiration towards Khan was most likely a childish crush. He comments to Baloo that being so interested in a boy who was mean to him was rather pathetic on his part. But a part of him knows that it was probably more complicated than that. Whatever it was, he accepts it but doesn’t dwell too much and moves forward. He figures he probably won’t ever see Shere Khan and while it is a little sad, he will certainly survive.

— Shere Khan also learned some things about himself while pursuing higher education but when it comes to his previous friendship with Bagheera, he opts to think about it as little as possible. While Bagheera was currently becoming far more outgoing, Shere Khan was steadily closing himself up until he was left entirely isolated. It was voluntary, of course. He had no interest in making friends and even if spending weeks without speaking to anyone had its mental effects, Khan was too stubborn to change his ways.

— Just like when they were children, Bagheera would send Khan letters. However, Khan had already made the decision that Bagheera was not to be involved in his life anymore. However he was so starved for familiar interaction, he read every letter and even wrote responses, even if he never sent them. He kept all of Bagheera’s letters in his desk drawer. And then they were moved to a box. And then that box was piled under by other boxes. As an adult, Shere Khan doesn’t quite know where exactly the letters are but he’s certain that they’re still somewhere in the house.

— When the two meet again as adults, Shere Khan comes to the reluctant conclusion that the boy he always showed up in school work, had become a far smarter and well read man than Shere Khan will ever be. And once he does allow himself to admit that, Khan can come to appreciate the person Bagheera has grown into. He’s very impressed.

— Bagheera is comfortable with himself. He wouldn’t say his self confidence is a hindrance anymore, not like when he was younger. But he finds that even as an adult, he often has moments of doubting himself. After being made feel so small for years and years, that sort of thing never quite leaves you. Even in adulthood. And isn’t it strange when the person who made you so insecure when you were children, is now the one making every attempt to build you back up again.

— Bagheera wouldn’t say he’s especially brave or anything. He’s still afraid by little things like thunder and spiders. But upon meeting Shere Khan again, he simply cannot wrap his head around the notion that anyone could find this man intimidating. All Bagheera sees is his old friend, who has taken on yet another mask to make himself seem cool.

— There are things Shere Khan has always known about Bagheera. He’s passionate and opinionated. A bit of a windbag really. As a child Shere Khan had found this annoying. But nowadays, he would consider it a pivotal aspect of Bagheera’s brilliance. Khan wasn’t all that intense about any personal matters these days so Bagheera brought so many new concepts to the table. He activated the side of Shere Khans brain that wasn’t strictly office based. It was a welcome change of pace.

— Bagheera has heard from many people that Shere Khan is apparently terrifying. It’s the icy demeanor, it seems. But oddly enough, once he had gotten used to Shere Khan all those years ago, Bagheera found his nonchalant disposition to be comforting, and now it was even more so. Khan rarely got outwardly agitated or panicky or raised his voice. And for Bagheera, somebody prone to anxiety ridden outbursts, a person like that was most welcome in his corner.

— Shere Khan has noticed that Bagheera carries around a worn, well loved pocket dictionary. Now he remembers giving him one over twenty years ago but it’s not likely that it’s the same one. Years and years go by and even long after considering Bagheera his other half, for some reason Shere Khan can never bring himself to ask. Maybe he just doesn’t want to know the truth. Believing what he wants is nice.

— Bagheera had always enjoyed sketching but it isn’t until his adulthood that he decides to indulge in buying paint supplies. Before long, a once empty space in Shere Khan’s penthouse is cluttered with paints and tarps and finished canvases propped against the walls. He’s particular fond of depicting countryside landscapes. Self portraits too but he’s afraid people will think he’s self centered. Shere Khan simply says if you’re both beautiful and artistic, then self portraits should be a no brainer. Bagheera had to politely ask Shere Khan to stop going to art galleries and showing immense interest in his art to raise the bidding among the rich crowd, as he would really like to see how much he can do on his own.

— Shere Khan played piano as a child. He didn’t remember the act of playing itself, but the obligation to sit at the stool and practice when he would much rather be outside. He associated piano with a lot of negative feelings, so once he had left his family’s home, he avoided the instrument at all cost. However, he accidentally discovered a little later than life that if he wasn’t under any pressure to do so, he quite enjoyed playing. It was calming for him. He liked the music it produced. But he was a bit out of practice. He was uncomfortable with being less than perfect at something and found the whole ordeal of improving oneself to be humiliating.

— Bagheera had a piano set up in their home for Shere Khan’s birthday. On the walls surrounding the instrument, he hung up the first few paintings he had done before he had gotten the hang of the whole art thing. It does take a month or two before Khan is willing to sit in the stool and give it a serious try but once he does, there’s music every evening at exactly 6:25pm. Not perfect music. But Bagheera makes it known how delighted he is to hear it.

— As he gets older and works gets more taxing, Bagheera has a tendency to fall asleep earlier. Usually in the evenings as he’s sitting in his chair and on page 6 of his book. Shere Khan hates this because if he leaves him there, he’ll wake up with a bad back and a creak in his neck, so he has to make the effort of dragging him to the bed. And Bagheera is not easy to carry.

— Shere Khan on the other hand can stay awake for days at a time, usually working and Bagheera hates it. Because not only is this biologically impossible for a person to pull off without losing some sanity, he doesn’t like to sleep on his own.

— They enjoy watching antique auction shows and get into extremely intense debates over it. Usually over the price or how ugly they think said antiques are.

— To this day, they still like to go on late night walks around the city. There’s a different atmosphere now that they’re no longer children but it helps them remember where they started off. And just like always, sometimes, they would talk about eveything and nothing, sometimes they would argue and sometimes they would say nothing at all.

#im sorry i talk too much there is something wrong with me <3 #i was really losing steam in the second half of this and it shows but i hope the first half is fun #talespin

48 notes · View notes

prinxlyart · 4 years

Note

No prob! Even if its just moral I love to support the artists I follow! And I will👍! Now I only have one(two maybe) question left for your Willumity AU: Who would propose first and who would they do it? (And if you allow Boscha to redeem herself in this, what relationship would she have with them?) Take care!

Oof this is a toughie. Hmmmmmmmmm........ I mean, lots of shenanigans would ensue, for sure for sure for sure, but what kind of shenanigans.....

[warning: this is like. Hella long y’all. I’m talking like, super deep dive into Boscha redemption territory. I’m not even kidding, it’s taken me all weekend to write this because there’s so much. I don’t even get into proposals...You’ve been warned]

Okay so!

Boscha sees all the girls have gotten together into one big relationship and is sort of knocked back on her ass. Amity? In a romantic relationship with Half-A-Witch and the Human????? What the fuck happened to that girl?! She’s been at a loss for how to even interact with them ever since a rumor had spread that Luz had gone toe-to-toe with the Emperor. Boscha wasn’t sure she believed that before, but watching her supposed friend of more than half a decade just drop her like she was nothing to go all soft over this human? Maybe Luz did do something impressive enough to garner Amity’s attention.

She would rather die than admit out loud (or even to herself) that she had a crush on Amity. It hurt her so much more than she realized when Amity stopped hanging out with her and it was just driving a stake through her heart when Amity defended them and joined their Grudgby team for that stupid challenge. It took her weeks following that whole fiasco to even look at Amity, let alone talk about her with the rest of her friend group, that by the time she thought she was over it, she looked up and saw her blushing and linking arms with both girls she’d played against Boscha with. Boscha may have broken her locker than day. She refused to say why.

If I’m following all of my narrative speculation threads, I think Skara pulls her aside one day and tells her she needs to calm tf down. Luz and Willow are chill as hell and they don’t deserve the vicious death glares Boscha’s been sending them. I think that’s the final nail in the coffin for Boscha. Her other supposed best friend is turning on her too?? But she isn’t??? Boscha’s head and heart are so confused by all this that she just skips the next day of school. I think she spends the day in the (newly-rebuilt) Treasure Shack just staring at the ceiling and tossing a hackey sack into the air while she blasts music that she doesn’t hear because she’s so deep in her own thoughts. Skara would find her immediately after school let’s out. There’s only one place Boscha would be if she skipped class for a day. Before any of the other teens make their way to the Treasure Shack, they leave so they can talk somewhere more private.

I think they spend a really long time hashing out Boscha’s thoughts and feelings. Skara even feels brave enough to bring up why they’re always so mean to others. There are other ways to prove how awesome you are without actively putting others down. In fact, putting others down to be on top is almost like cheating; you’re not actually proving you’re the best if you’re hindering your competition. Skara knows how awesome and amazing Boscha is and can be, but they spend their time just being mean to everyone else rather than actually showing off their talents. She also mentions how scary powerful Willow actually is and confirms the rumors about Luz taking on the Emperor and living to tell the tale so it’s not like they have no magical ability. Amity might just be rolling with the new most powerful witches at Hexside. Dating them even. And have you seen that illusion track kid in action?? He created some complex illusions during their Grudgby match and that was for funsies. They’re a severely powerful group. And they’re liked by everyone because they’re so kind. They’re revered by their classmates for being so powerful and so nice at the same time, meanwhile they just fear Boscha. They don’t think she’s all that great, but she is powerful enough to kill them if need be, so they just stay out of her way. Boscha hates everything Skara points out but doesn’t deny any of it.

Skara admits she’s been talking with Willow a lot about all of this; she’s definitely apologized for the bullying she’s done in the past and Willow actually accepted it which surprises Boscha. A lot of her insight is a mix of hashing shit out with Willow in the Greenhouse after school and some self reflection at home, but that’s why they all hang out together now. Oh, and she and Amity had a sleepover relatively recently where they decided to start their friendship over. Now they’re actually friends and can say so with a smile because it’s true and it’s not just to appease their parents.

Boscha never thought she’d do this in her life but she just bites the inside of her cheek and does it anyway: she asks Skara for advice. All Skara knows to suggest confidently is to think about how she treats everyone and how that can be changed. She also tells her to think about what she actually wants. Does she want to be the school bully? Or does she actually want to be friends with Amity again? Does she maybe want to find out how cool Luz and Willow are? They’re definitely all a package deal by now and it might be hard to be friends with Amity again after how horribly they’d treated Willow over the years. Boscha spends the entire weekend thinking over everything she talked about with Skara.

The following school week, Boscha is having a hard time getting Willow alone. At least one of her girlfriends is always by her side by the time she can find her between classes. It’s not until after school that Boscha manages to beat both Luz and Amity to the Greenhouse to ask Willow if they can talk. Willow is wary at first, but sees that Boscha has a weird look to her that sets aside and fears of Boscha attempting to pick on her. She noticed that Boscha has barely even looked at her in weeks. So she agrees and they find an empty classroom to talk in privately (Willow lets Amity and Luz know that she’s busy and will meet them later). Willow waits expectantly for Boscha to threaten her or yell at her or whatever else and is shocked (and maybe even scared?) when Boscha finally blurts out her apology. She lets Boscha just ramble her apologies for a while and watches her fumble over her words and her face turn a little red and genuinely doesn’t know how to react. Has the world turned upside down? Is it Opposite Day? Is this some kind of elaborate prank? The tears in Boscha’s eyes suggest that it’s not. Eventually Willow stops her and they just sit in silence for a minute while Willow kind of turns it all over in her head. Boscha’s freaking out because Willow is just standing there watching her and she feels like she’s a bug under a magnifying glass. I think Willow truly doesn’t know what to say and just kinda sighs and picks up her bag to get ready to leave and tells Boscha she just needs to think about everything she said. Because she can’t forgive her, not for the years of ceaseless bullying, but she needs to think about whether or not she’ll even accept her apology. Boscha just kinda nods numbly and Willow leaves and Boscha just sorta melts into the floor from exhaustion and frayed nerves.

I think Willow would ask Skara first about what she thinks of Boscha’s apology; they’re still friends after all, even though Skara’s been hanging out with them more often. Skara’s blown away because she didn’t think the talk they had just the previous Friday afternoon would lead to all that. So now Willow knows the apology is real. She’ll tell her girlfriends next because they’re also directly affected by this and they are also both shell-shocked. Amity is unsure of everything simply because she’s witnessed Boscha’s behavior first-hand for years and this just doesn’t sound like her (Luz agrees, oddly quietly), but Willow confirmed with Skara that it was a real apology. That that was why Boscha wasn’t at school on Friday. I think they’re all at the Owl House while they have this conversation so Eda and Lilith both overhear and throw their two snails in; Eda knows from experience that sometimes bullies are only bullies because they’ve been raised that way. She had some school friends that were pretty nasty before realizing just how nasty they were after the kids they were bullying got into some serious trouble. Lilith confirms the stories and also throws in that, based on her own experience, she may be doing all the wrong things with what she thinks are the right intentions. This gives all three of them something to think about for the rest of the night.

I’d say it takes them roughly the rest of the week to really come to a conclusion. The entire time, Boscha is begging Skara for any updates but Skara isn’t in on that loop. So in the meantime, she asks Skara for help in fixing her behavior during their free time. Boscha came to the conclusion on her own that she doesn’t actually want to be a bully, she just wants to feel acknowledged for her efforts. Skara reprimands her for falling back on bullying tactics when things don’t go the way Boscha wants them to. Their other friends in their friend group pick up on this and are 100% on board with helping Boscha be a better person. They were all too scared to disrupt the flow that they had to call her out before, but now that Boscha’s actually trying to be better?? They’re all in to help her. I don’t think Boscha’s ever felt this kind of support before. Her whole life she’s had friends to back her up when she tooted her own horn, her pack to intimidate by numbers. But now they’re actually wanting to help her? They’re not just sticking around so they themselves don’t become ostracized? Boscha’s never really experienced that before and it makes her feel warm inside. At first she thinks she’s sick but Bo (I think her name is Bo; the light-skinned healing track girl with the freckles that taught Skara that fire-to-ice spell) runs a quick diagnosing spell over her and let’s her know that no, she’s not sick, she’s just experiencing happiness for once. Everyone else laughs, even Boscha after a moment because holy shit, she’s actually happy.

Over the course of that week, our main trio is quietly watching Boscha’s metamorphosis from the sidelines. They’re all confused at first; she really is trying to change? Luz is the first one to get excited though. It’s just like one of her favorite character tropes: bully learns to be nice and is better for it (and maybe falls in love with the person they’ve been bullying). Willow scoffs at that, but she does admit that it’s reassuring to see Boscha actually making the effort. In public too, she’s not trying to hide the fact that she wants to change. Luz, being in all the tracks at Hexside, gets the chance to actually talk to each of the girls in Boscha’s friend group about the whole situation and gets some pretty solid evidence that yes, Boscha’s really making that effort. She reports as much back to her girlfriends and by the time the week ends, Willow’s the one tracking down Boscha by the Potions Hall to take her aside for a chat.

Boscha is scared shitless when Willow asks to talk to her for the first time since Monday but obliges and they find a private place to talk. Willow lets her know that she’s ready to accept her apology and Boscha nearly bursts into tears in relief. She knows that it isn’t forgiveness, but Willow is accepting the fact that she’s trying to change and she is sorry for her past actions. Willow fills her in on all the various (drama? Lack of drama?) chatter about her trying so hard to be nicer from Boscha’s friend group that Boscha actually does start crying at that. She’s so relieved that her friends aren’t doing this as some kind of payback; that they’re actually supporting her with no ulterior motives. They’d have every reason and right to, but they aren’t and Boscha is so relieved to hear as much. Willow doesn’t know if she should try to comfort her or what so they both kind of stand there awkwardly for a minute while Boscha wipes the tears from her face. She thanks Willow for accepting her apology and vows to her (maybe a little too dramatically; it actually makes Willow want to laugh because it reminds her so much of Luz) that she will be a better witch. Not just a better witch to her and her friends, but to everyone. When they part ways for the weekend, they’re both buzzing with giddiness. Boscha, because Willow finally accepted her apology and knew that this was a huge first step in her road to being a better witch. Willow because she knows for certain that Boscha’s giving this her all; and maybe they could even become friends. Skara and Amity did a do-over on their friendship, maybe Boscha’s hoping to do the same.

Shockingly, Boscha actually goes to Luz next by sitting next to her during their shared potions class the following week. She slides her a note asking to speak with her outside of class to which Luz agrees (with a silly doodle of a winky face and a thumbs up that makes Boscha nearly giggle). Boscha apologizes to Luz next for her behavior towards her and much to Boscha’s surprise, Luz not only accepts her apology, but forgives her too. Boscha didn’t even expect that. Luz explains that she hasn’t been on the Boiling Isles long enough to be really affected by Boscha’s past bullying, not like her girlfriends. And she’s super grateful and proud of Boscha for reaching out to Willow first and actually going to the lengths she’s been going to to be a better person. Boscha, not used to praise that she wasn’t fishing for, just blushes and nods. Luz sort of coos at her and comments on how cute she looks when she blushes which only makes her blush harder and start threatening Luz with empty promises of violence if she doesn’t shut up. Luz starts running away, cackling, and calls out to her as she’s leaving that she hopes they can be friends some day soon. Boscha silently agrees and goes home with a goofy smile that won’t leave her face no matter how hard she tries because Luz called her cute. She shoves that thought aside for the time being, just grateful that Luz was so quick to forgive her.

Finally, she approaches Amity. Or rather, she leaves a note in her locker because the Abomination Hall and the Potions Hall are nowhere near each other. At this point, Amity is on the fence about what she wants to do because on the one hand, she was never truly friends with Boscha and she’s not sure if she wants to be. On the other hand, she’s been watching Boscha change over the last week and a half and is actually surprised at how hard she’s working at it. She isn’t surprised by how hard she’s working; Boscha always gives 110% into anything she does, she’s just surprised that she’s working at being nice at all. But between Willow telling them how their chat went on Friday and Luz telling them about their talk on Monday (and Luz mentioning how cute Boscha was when she was red and sputtering her empty threats), she’s at least willing to hear her out. So she stands there and waits for Boscha to start and is actually kind of surprised to see Boscha’s already so pink she’s almost the same shade as her own hair. I think she’s silently patient out of shock more so than any amount of politeness. She’s never seen Boscha....flustered????? Luz was right, it is kind of cute, but now isn’t the time for that.

Boscha kept her conversation with Amity for last because she knew it was the hardest one to have. She had been pushing it aside for the last few weeks now; although she’s finally admitted to herself that she (has/had?) a crush on her. By the time they make it somewhere private, Boscha’s so nervous that she’s almost shaking. And Amity is just standing there, watching her, and saying nothing. That is until Boscha nearly starts crying and Amity finally breaks, if only due to concern. They may not have ever been real friends, but neither of them were heartless either. Amity manages to coax some words out of Boscha through her thick tears and once the words start, they don’t stop. Boscha didn’t mean to admit her crush on Amity to her face, but that sort of slipped out with all her other apologies and explanations. Amity desperately wishes Luz or Willow were there with her because they are so much better at emotional shit than Amity is. Amity does flush when she hears Boscha confess her crush on her and doesn’t really know what to say to that. Boscha had a crush on her? This whole time? She had a crush on the Amity from before she met Luz???? Amity considered herself an entirely different person from who she was before she met Luz. To think that Boscha’s quietly been harboring feelings for her all that time? Even before that time?? It’s flattering to say the least, but she definitely has mixed feelings about it. She didn’t like who she was before she met Luz. It’s hard to imagine someone else liking her.

Their conversation takes a long time to really hash out. They have a long history to sort out; sorting out Boscha’s feelings and identifying instances where they were horrible to other witches and how it wasn’t okay. There’s so many things that need to be figured out between the two of them. I think Boscha remembers what Skara had done and offers they have a sleepover to really try to start their friendship over. But I don’t think Amity is actually comfortable with that yet. Not due to Boscha’s crush on her or anything, just because it’s a different situation than it was with Skara. There would be a lot more to cover than just learning about what sort of music the other likes. And Boscha is definitely crushed on the inside, but just accepts it because she knows it’s a lot. I think after a while they both leave with the promise that they’ll continue this conversation later; Amity just needs to consult her girls first. She really doesn’t know how to handle all this and needs to just kinda decompress with her girlfriends and sort out all of her thoughts. Boscha agrees; they both have each other’s scroll contacts still, so they can reach out to each other whenever they’re ready to continue that conversation.

I think Willow and Luz would find it adorable that Boscha has/had a crush on Amity (which only makes Amity blush and chide them for not focusing on the subject at hand). Luz is super excited about Boscha trying to make amends all over the place. She’s even watched her between classes go out of her way to apologize to others too, so it’s not just them she’s trying to make amends with. Boscha always has one of her friends with her when she does this, but mostly as support or to remind her to not use bullying tactics or words when she’s trying to apologize. There’s been a low buzz of rumors going on about it too, Boscha’s strange change of heart has captured the attention of most students. Amity still isn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation though. There’s less to apologize for between them and more just explaining themselves. Why they never held each other accountable for their shitty behavior, why Amity seemed to just tolerate Boscha’s existence while Boscha silently harbored a crush on her; there was less in terms of wrong doings between the two of them and more just laying their cards on the table. I think Luz would be the one to suggest she go through with the slumber party, but maybe also have Skara join them as a sort of mediator. Willow is also hesitant; she doesn’t want to encourage her girlfriend to venture into something that makes her so uncomfortable, but she agrees with Luz that they need to clear the air between them. She admits that having Skara there would actually help a lot with that; Skara seeking Willow out on her own terms to apologize to Willow and talking with her so openly gave Willow more than enough reason to trust her with Amity’s feelings, especially after they reconciled their own friendship.

I actually don’t know what sort of history those girls have, but I’ve actually been in Amity’s place before. I’ve tolerated the existence of a person who developed a crush on me and it was....awkward at best. This person didn’t try to be a better person in the time that I knew them though. They just kept making excuses for their shitty behavior, so I’m genuinely not sure how this would all play out. I think having Skara join them for this weekend-long feelings jam certainly helps things along; she knows when to push them to tell the truth and when to sit back and let them take their time. I think by the coming school week (we’re what, in week 3 of Boscha’s redemption arc by now??? Almost a whole month of this emotional vulnerability??? How exhausting), they do manage to find a stable ground to start rebuilding their friendship. It takes a while, and I think Boscha’s nervous about it at first, mostly due to Willow’s near-constant presence around Amity, but Luz’s just. Sheer determination to befriend Boscha and integrate her into their ever-growing friend group both encourages Boscha and softens Willow’s stiffness in her presence.

Oofa doofa, I don’t even know how long it would take before any of them truly catch feelings RE: Boscha. I think Luz picks up on Boscha’s nervousness around Willow first and teases Boscha about it when they’re alone. And Willow and Amity do agree, Boscha is very cute when she blushes hard enough to match the color of her hair. It’s also fun to watch her freak out and turn into just one big pink blob hissing obscenities at a cackling Luz. I think Luz might get caught up in her fiction character tropes a little too much before she realizes she’s not taking Willow’s feelings into account (not so much that it causes damage; they’ve probably been dating for months now by this time). Luz would have to ask Willow how she felt about Boscha overall and Willow I think....would be unsure for a very long time. I think eventually, long after Boscha’s been fully integrated into their friend group and she’s actually seen who Boscha is when she’s a good friend and not a bully, does Willow begin to feel the inklings of feelings sneaking into her heart. Amity is in a similar boat as Willow, but neither make their feelings known for quite some time. They’re happy with their little triad relationship; they’re not sure what it would mean to include Boscha when they were still so unsure of their feelings.

Luz is so full of love she literally radiates it and it’s contagious. I don’t even thunk she realizes she’s developed a fondness for Boscha until several months after they’ve become friends. Besides, she’s far too busy teasing Boscha about her crush on Willow and Amity to realize how much Boscha also seems to blush around her. I don’t think she gets it until one day Boscha just shoves something in her hands and stalks off to class and when Luz looks at what she gave her, she just kinda gasps. Because Boscha definitely gave her a note that just reads “I like you too, you idiot”. Luz just runs to Willow and Amity and shows them the note and they all three call an emergency girlfriend meeting to sort out what exactly they want to do about this whole situation. Polyamory is hard because it requires so much mindfulness of everyone involved. But they all manage to admit that they’ve been harboring some softer feelings for Boscha and decide to test those waters. And maybe have a little fun with those tests as they do so. They maaaaayybbeee make it a competition to see who can make Boscha blush the hardest. They can all be quite competitive.

Boscha suddenly finds herself at the center of a Willumity Flirt-Off that she was NOT prepared for and doesn’t know how to handle it. All three of them are suddenly winking at her when she catches them looking at her, or maybe sitting way too close at lunch, or even just complimenting her when she doesn’t expect it and she nearly passes out from the attention. I think there’s a moment when she actually walks into a door when the girls realize they’re maybe taking this too far and apologize to Boscha before asking her if she wants to try being in their relationship with them. And I think Boscha does pass out at that.

I think it’s a tough adjustment period for them all. Balancing the four of them takes a lot time and fine-tuning to get it right. Boscha’s still just bewildered that she’s come so far with each of them enough to actually be in a relationship with each of them equally. There’s definitely some jealousy here and there, some old fears of being left behind cropping up, but all of those worries are thoroughly stamped out once they’re addressed. I think they all try very hard to get this to work and they do make it work. Boscha forever considers it the most dramatic year of her life.

I literally cannot even begin to get into proposals this is far too long already but thank you so much for sticking around if you’ve made it this far!!!!! This one in particular got hella long because there were so many moving parts @-@

I’ll be the first to admit: I’ve never been in a polyamorous relationship myself (I’ve never had any polyamorous partners before ;v;). I do know how important communication and establishing individual relationships can be though. It’s always so important to make sure that you and your partners are on the same page before doing anything that can dramatically affect your relationship. Consulting individuals within the relationship is also important. Just because you’re in a group doesn’t mean your relationship with each individual is any less important.

Ngl, this was also kind of hard for me to write because I truly don’t know what Boscha’s like when she’s not a bully. We haven’t seen that much of her character outside of her being a bully that thrives on fear and praise. She could very well be just as much an over dramatic dork as Luz. I don’t even think she knows; she’s been a bully her whole life. What is your personality like when you realize you don’t have to be a bully??? Idk, but that’s why this took me all weekend to write; I really don’t know how Boscha is outside of being a bully. Hopefully we get to see who she is in season 2!!!!!

157 notes · View notes

justimajin · 4 years

Text

It’s a Reverse Basket ◍ Part 10

⇝ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

⇝ Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Angst

↳ Basketball AU, Crossdressing AU

⇝ Words: 4.9k

⇝ Summary: Basketball is your everything; your passion for it running deep and wanting nothing more then to play the sport. Problem is, the sport isn’t offered competitively to girls and with that, all your hopes immediately fizzle away… …but who ever said that was going to stop you?

⇝ Warnings: pg13 (please check out the disclaimer on the first part); things get a little angsty with this one

gif credit.

⇝ Previous Parts: Moodboard Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

⇝ Next Update: Tuesday, May 19

There’s multiple white lights hovering over you, a silvery forecast that makes you wince and want to seal your eyes shut. Voices roar and shout, a sea of people on the bleachers mixed with reactions that adore the fine orange and purple print of your team while others scorn at the sight, faces dejected and barely anything slipping from their lips.

Although you’ve slowly grown accustomed to the sight, there’s a layer of cynicism radiating off the group of individuals near you, expressions being either stiff or tense. When it becomes even more apparent by the minute, it’s something you attempt to address with the two people you’ve always been surrounded by, however it seems that the air has somehow sucked the cheery camaraderie out of them as well.

Taehyung and Jungkook both have their arms crossed, standing beside one another in such a way that makes you almost cower. There’s dashes of hostility surrounding them, brows creasing when they heavily stare at the basketball court. You draw closer to steal a peek at what they were looking at, puzzlement crossing you when there’s a certain man they can’t help but regard.

“It’s him again.” You perk up a brow when Taehyung’s voice falls down a couple of octaves, the pure malice catching you even more off guard. Jungkook hums, suddenly voicing out a range of statistics with Taehyung that you can’t really follow.

“Speed?”

“About 10 mph.”

“Shooting range?”

“6 metres.”

“Ego and bad dad jokes?”

The both of them go silent for a moment, their gazes seemingly drawing heavier in that one split second when they enunciate the answer at the same time.

“Infinity.”

“What’s going on?”

They both turn when you enter the conversation, eyes seemingly perplexed at the points they were just discussing moments ago.

“Oh hi Y/N.” Taehyung seems to snap out of it, expression appearing a lot friendlier and welcoming compared to before.

“We were just talking about him.” Jungkook points in the direction they were staring at, outlining a specific individual you’ve never seen around.

He wears a deep blue jersey, his team name sprayed out in large white letters. You catch sight of his face when he leans over to one of his teammates, blonde hair held up with a bulky headband and sharp eyebrows on full display. He almost produces a squeaky noise as he laughs, expression remaining childlike and innocent as you continue to stare.

“Him?” You immediately question, wondering why they were acting so serious for someone that appeared rather naïve to you. The sudden inquiry catches their attention right away, however something dwells deep in Taehyung’s eyes as he stares at Jungkook concerned.

“Isn’t he interested in….?”

Jungkook appears confused for a moment, before realization suddenly flickers in his eyes and both of them whirl around to stare at you in surprise. He’s too late though, mind drawing blank when a certain someone struts over in their direction.

“Well, well if it isn’t Taehyung and Jungkook!” His light-hearted tone is friendly when he addresses them, a smile already on your features when he comes closer. “Sure haven’t seen you guys in a while.”

They both simply hum, and you’re taken aback at how disinterested Taehyung appears alongside Jungkook acting like there wasn’t someone standing right in front of him. It’s both bizarre and strange, something you don’t let get to you as you kindly wave.

“Hi! I’m Y/N.”

His eyebrows perk up at the sudden sound, but he doesn’t catch sight of you when immediately Taehyung and Jungkook move to cover you up with their forms. The display causes the blonde-haired man to scoff, hands on his hips when a challenging look sparks in his once innocent eyes.

“A little too overprotective now, are we?” He cocks his head to the side, still trying to catch a glimpse of you but failing when Taehyung and Jungkook constantly interrupt him. “Tsk, you know we’re going to have to eventually face each other during the game, right?”

“Stay away from him Seokjin.” Taehyung grits, causing him to roll his eyes with a scoff.

“Yeah, yeah we’ll see how that goes, Taehyung.” He begins to head back to his team, still trying to capture a glance but Jungkook’s arm gets in the way instead. With a dramatic sigh, he yells over his shoulder, “Bye Y/N! See you on the court!”

Once he leaves, Jungkook and Taehyung immediately separate, leaving you with some room but with a lot of confusion.

“What just happened?”

“Kim Seokjin.” A third voice declares, strolling over as you catch a glimpse of Hoseok, “Captain of Sondeyeon’s number one rival team. Looks innocent but is way too loud, known for his horrible and shameless dad jokes, borderline suffocating confidence and a fondness towards anyone..…pretty.”

As if Hoseok read Taehyung and Jungkook’s minds, he eyes you for a moment and suddenly the connection forms. You do swell up with gratitude when you understand that your roommates were in a way just trying to protect you, however your uncertainty stems from how they’ve deduced that you don’t appear to look like the average guy.

A cold sweat plasters over you at the thought, eyes darting between all of them when they seem to not really dwell on it, more occupied with throwing Seokjin dirty looks from across the court. With a relieved sigh, you take their advice into consideration and decide to just be wary of the opposing team’s captain, eyes now on alert for the team you’ll have to eventually face.

***

It was a surprise enough to see Taehyung and Jungkook acting differently, but when Yoongi walks in with a certain glint to his eyes, you know it’s not something that can be just generalized to them.

“Jungkook, Jaebum, Hoseok, Taehyung and Jinyoung.” Yoongi announces, eyes lingering over to all of the members before facing all of you, “You will be playing for today’s game.”

They all proceed over to the court as you walk over to Jimin, sitting down with him on the bench alongside Jackson. When your eyes roam over to the court and all the members line up, you have to admit, you’re a bit perplexed.

Namjoon and Yoongi had chosen players that excelled on the offense, meaning that this time around they had selected for a team that was prepared to fully strike against their opponents.

Your gaze moves over to the opposing team, noticing how their focus wasn’t straying away from the team in front of them at all and how they almost seem like they were going to jump them at any second. Your eyes then land on Seokjin, abruptly blinking when you notice his posture completely morph into something else – a silent prayer running in your head for your teammates going up against him.

Jaebum stands in the centre position where Yoongi usually is, being eye to eye with Seokjin when the referee approaches with the basketball. Your eyes are locked onto the court, only fueling the thick tension building up in the air. This whistle is blown and the basketball is thrown into the air, immediately being caught by two hands.

Scary. That’s the only word you can use to describe the mayhem that had just transpired. It seems as if you’re not the only one who’s experienced chills down their spine, a look around all the expressions of your team telling you otherwise.

Within fifteen seconds, Seokjin managed to grab a hold of the basket and pass it along to only two players at a tremendous speed, scoring a point.

Fifteen seconds.

You can only stare in a mix of fascination and dread at the realization, eyes lingering on the captain for a split second. He notices right away, catching your glance with a smirk and then he does something that has your eyes dramatically widening.

He throws a flying kiss in your direction.

In front of the entire team.

You’re left stuttering for words, shrinking your form closer to Jimin in a protective way. Jimin on the other hand is bewildered as well, glancing avertedly back and forth between the two of you with wide eyes.

The referee stands in the centre again and the whistle is blown. You eagerly watch from the edge of your seat, hoping that your team can overtake the ball and get a basket.

To your disappointment though, the same thing repeats itself again and this time it’s quicker, your team being left in defeat when the buzzer scores for a second point. You slump down in your seat, hands pressed against your cheeks when the realization kicks in that you’re being defeated by Bangtan’s rival team in your own school.

That’s when Namjoon calls over the team, coming closer to the benches where you’re sitting and bringing Yoongi with him. Compared to everyone else, Namjoon doesn’t seem to be in too much shock from the overall situation, calmly questioning each member on what they thought was going wrong.

Yoongi on the other hand, is fuming.

You can only stare in pure horror as his fists clench and there’s a dark look brewing in his eyes, something you’ve never seen before and in this moment, wished you’d never seen before. He doesn’t seem to be listening on to the members, eyes fixated onto a certain blonde individual on the court as his jaw further tightens.

When he turns, you almost want to disappear in the fear that he was going to yell at either you or the team, but that fear dwindles away when Yoongi appears to shift back into an attentive mode, acknowledging the members before him.

“They’re too fast.” Jungkook hurriedly mumbles, frantically shaking his head.

“And strong.” Jaebum adds, “They’re able to anticipate our moves before we even think about them.”

That earns a collective nod from the team, everyone humming in agreement. Namjoon frowns, going through the original strategy he had come with but stuck if it would be better off changing it. As he contemplates over it, you uncomfortably shift when it begins to feel like Yoongi is burning circles into your head by staring at you, attempting your best to avoid all eye contact.

When he finally speaks up, his words have Namjoon even more confused.

“If they can anticipate what our members can do, they’ll need to go up against something unexpected.”

You can only resort to blinking in disbelief when Yoongi continues to stare at you, mouth opening to retort something as Namjoon interjects.

“Y/N?”

Immediately Taehyung and Jungkook step forward to object, but Yoongi raises a hand for them to let him finish, “It’s risky, but it might just be what we need.” Yoongi looks over to you again, “Y/N is smaller than the rest of us, they won’t be able to figure out speed or strength easily and getting the ball out of his hands will prove to be much more difficult.”

Their protests evaporate at that, Yoongi’s words bringing up a solid point. It causes you to be perplexed too, not knowing how well Yoongi was able to deduce your capabilities in such an accurate way.

“Alright. Y/N, you’re up.” Namjoon quickly says, eyeing the bright timer when the referee gestures for them to come back. Nodding, you swap places with Jinyoung and head for the court, suddenly feeling a little too exposed now being on the offense instead of defense.

Facing forward, there’s exhaustion evident in your own team and the opposing one, a layer of sweat coating forehead’s and heavy pants being exchanged. Your eyes flicker over to the scoreboard for a moment, the clear zero for your team serving as a crucial reminder of what your goal for being on the court was.

When your gaze drops down to the other team, you can see a set of eyes following your movement with a smile. When he opens his mouth though, you’re surprised when he somehow breaks the tension looming over everyone’s heads.

“What’s the best way basketball players can stay cool during a game?” He eyes the remaining players in front of him, all of which don’t attempt to answer and instead retaliate by glaring at him.

Seokjin grins, a laugh bubbling out of him as he gives the answer.

“They should stand by the fans.”

The air is silent – until a familiar set of giggles erupt from the benches. Your entire team directs a deadly stare in his direction, causing Jimin to quickly cower away and cover his mouth in shock. The referee eventually strolls over with the ball, a chaos of movement being unleashed once he blows his whistle.

Jungkook has the basketball in an instant, racing over to hand it to Jaebum who begins to dribble closer to the basket. Hoseok and Taehyung are nowhere in sight, scattered across the wave of players that successfully block them away from Jaebum’s view.

Recognizing that you’re the person who needs to get into the limelight right away, you glide across the court and attempt your best to stay in front of his path. However you’ve failed to consider that someone on the opposing team has other plans for you, shivers being sent down your spine when a voice from behind startles you.

“How interesting.” Is literally all Seokjin says, intercepting Jaebum’s shot to you and swooping out of your sight. You’re left in confusion from the whole situation; but take Yoongi’s words into regard when you know that once the basketball is in your hands, it’ll create an issue that the other team won’t be able to stop.

Noticing from afar that Hoseok has snatched the ball away from Seokjin, you rush over and open your hands wide. He immediately turns, jumping at a height that barely allows the greedy hands in front of him to brush against the ball. It lands in your hands with a thud, and you whirl around to send it over to the hoop.

An enormous smile graces your lips when it successfully sinks in, eager eyes taking in the content faces of your team members. You lightly jog over to get back into the centre position again, wiping off the trailing beads of water from your forehead and focusing your eyes back onto the referee.

Once the whistle blows again, Taehyung does everything in his ability to grab onto the basketball and pass it over to Jungkook. He filters through the stampede rushing at him, hurling the ball in Hoseok direction’s before he’s completely overtaken by them.

You quicken your pace to meet up with Hoseok’s on the other side, his eyes holding onto yours as a way to indicate that he’s going to be needing you soon. But when Hoseok stretches his arms to pass the basketball to you, your view is cut off by a height that towers over you.

When you move to the left, so does he. When you move to the right, so does he. It spirals into a vicious cycle that draws frustration onto your features, so when you finally get the chance to bypass him completely, he uses his words to halt you instead.

He says it so faintly amongst the chaos of the screaming audience and pounding of the basketball, but it’s enough to have your feet stopping, breath hitching in your throat.

“Never thought Min Yoongi was the type to include a girl on his team.”

Seokjin smirks when he passes by you, a glance of his causing your heartbeat to spike up and your form to freeze up. In that one second, everything seems to slow down – but thankfully you’re awoken when the buzzer resonates through the court and it’s announced that Hoseok managed to score the next shot.

A light smile overtakes your features when Hoseok grins at you, but the harsh throbbing in your head doesn’t go away, not until your hand reaches out and unconsciously scrunches up his jersey.

Yoongi whirls around, looking down puzzled at your clenched fist until his eyes reach up to meet yours. There must be something in your glance that causes him to falter, because suddenly he’s leaning forward.

“H-He knows…” It’s the only thing you can mutter and Yoongi’s reaction is distinctly similar to yours – his eyes widening and shock overtaking his features. He doesn’t even need to ask what you mean by ‘he’, his hand securely hovering on yours.

“Avoid him at all costs. Stay close to the other members.”

You nod but don’t fail to notice the slight twitch that tugs at the corner of Yoongi’s mouth, the way his jaw sets and his eyes harden. You realize that he doesn’t want you to go back because of the realization, but he has no choice in the matter when the referee tells you to return to the court.

The glowing tied two’s served as a reminder that you’re going to need to be careful this time around, so when the referee blows his whistle for the last time, you try to do exactly that.

Though it’s considered unreasonable when there’s someone tailgating on your heels, covering your vision with his giant shoulders every time you catch sight of the basketball. With a huff and large steps, you attempt to distance yourself and stick closer to your members but doesn’t seem to do much in your favour when he persists.

An idea sparks in your mind, head churning when you try to identify any patterns you’re noticing. The dots begin to connect when you rush forward and he does so as well, almost seeming to eye down your every step with his own…

Yoongi had switched you out on a whim, your presence on the court being a solid tactic to throw everyone off their game and you would assume this had gone underneath the opposite team’s radar.

But what if it didn’t?

Your question is answered when Seokjin blocks you again much to your frustration, the keen fact that they’ve chosen their captain for this special task. It doesn’t help either that he has you figured out more than you expected, the smirks on his lips just drawing out sheer paranoia from you.

You realize Yoongi’s advice isn’t going to be enough in that one moment, so you do something else.

You go against his instructions.

Instead of letting Seokjin block you – you block him. The abrupt change seems to throw him off, scrambling to get in front of you when you eye the wave of the basketball heading in your direction. You instantly open your hands when Taehyung tosses it over, but frustration builds even more when Seokjin gets his hands onto it first.

Without thinking, you force your hands out and try to knock the ball out of his hands before he can shoot. However your feet misstep and you end up accidentally bumping into him.

It’s a blatant mistake, yet with a costly price when the whistle suddenly sounds and you can only spin around in a cold sweat. Distraught instantly fills you when the referee walks over, face neutral but gestures speaking volumes when he takes Seokjin’s arm and positions him right in front of your hoop. A drearily sigh leaves you, the words ‘foul’ ringing heavily through the court and the distress is so clearly written over your teammate’s faces.

He shoots and the ball plunges into the basket. The loud buzz creates the three for the opposite team and the referee raises his hand, declaring the winning team.

***

Nothing much then a couple of remorseful looks and bitter filled eyes are exchanged amongst you and the members, a tight smile lining your lips when you ask to be excused after the game. You head outside, not discerning where you ended up when there’s too much of a heavy strain weighing on your shoulders and the last whistle before the foul replays over and over again in your head.

Taking a shuddering breath, you cross your arms and stare at the ground, failing to hear the sound of the door opening behind you and the accompanying footsteps that follow.

Silence dips into the room for what seems like forever, no coherent sentences being enough to be spoken from your lips. Which is why when he chooses to speak first, you can now only listen.

“You didn’t listen to me.” He sighs, though it isn’t from disappointment or regret – instead it appears to be fuelled by something else entirely.

“I know.” You quietly whisper but he presses on when his words only serve to retrieve a meek response from you.

“Why didn’t you listen? It was obvious he was targeting you.”

You open your mouth only to clamp it shut a few seconds later, eyes straying away from the ground to look up. Yoongi steps forward to be in your line of sight, but you almost wish he didn’t when you take in the pure fury lingering in his eyes.

“I-I just…” Your fist tightens, the ill memories resurfacing once again, “I just thought I could get to the basketball in time…I didn’t think that it would turn out to be a–“

You can’t even say the word foul, shoulders slumping down and words being silenced. Though the gesture goes past Yoongi, arms crossed as he grits his teeth.

“I don’t care about that.” He reaches out, jabbing a finger into your shoulder, “Because of what you chose to do, Bangtan had to pay a price.”

His piercing words cut into you, seemingly leaving behind a much deeper wound. However the hardest hit comes with what he says next.

“You can’t expect to be a competitive basketball player if all it takes is for someone to block you.”

Yoongi heavily sighs again, not noticing the light trail of footsteps backing away beside him until he swivels, eyes widening.

You harshly bite down on your lip, water unexpectedly beginning to well up in your eyes as your steps continue to falter backwards. When Yoongi faces you, you abruptly turn and rush out before the water starts to stream down your cheeks.

Yoongi steps out in a frenzy but you’re long gone, the coast being completely clear. A tick leaves him as he fists his red locks, eyes scrunching up when the realization took too long for him.

“Don’t you think that was perhaps a bit….harsh?”

Yoongi huffs, opening his eyes to see Namjoon drawing closer to him.

“I said what needed to be said.”

“Did you?” He wonders, a questioning look in his eyes, “Seems to me that it wasn’t the case.”

“We lost the game, what else is there to it?” Yoongi snaps, not realizing his voice was escalating by the minute. Namjoon frowns, clearly not being blind as the former was assuming him to be.

“Are you sure this was about losing the game?” When Yoongi glares at him, Namjoon tries to spell it out, “We’ve faced Seokjin and his team before and even lost sometimes…I haven’t seen you react like this during those times.”

Yoongi’s lips set into a firm line and his gaze hardens. He chooses to respond by truding himself to the doorframe, muttering something about Seokjin harshly underneath his breath before leaving.

Namjoon lets out a weary sigh, shaking his head and wondering about the time his friend will realize what’s actually going on.

***

The TV is brightly lit in the corner of the dorm, high graphics flashing across the screen alongside two controllers being viciously tapped at. A voice breaks through the silence of the room, conjured in protests as an accruing finger is pointed in the direction of the man with long black locks.

“You’re cheating again!” Jungkook spits out. Taehyung rolls his eyes and exhales in exasperation.

“How am I cheating?!”

“You’re using D.Va!” He points to the familiar female avatar on Taehyung’s side.

Taehyung’s tone drops into a sarcastic one, “Right, because using her as my character is for sure a clear indication of cheating.”

“Change it.”

“What?”

“You heard me, change it! Use someone else!”

Taehyung sighs, shaking his head at his roommate, “You’re being ridiculous right now.”

“Am not.”

“Am too.”

“NOT!”

“TOO!”

Taehyung’s face is the shade of cherries at this point, more words about to be unleashed about how incredibly unfair and childish Jungkook was being. It’s only when the front door quietly closes that his attention is snapped away, eyes darting over to the door to see you.

He opens his mouth, instantly knowing that if he asked you then you would be able to take his side and tell Jungkook he was being ridiculous. But Taehyung can’t seem to get the words out when you don’t even regard the two of them, simply kicking your shoes off and dragging your bag over to your room. The door is closed shut, not a peep echoing through.

He can only stare as he turns around, making eye contact with Jungkook who holds a similar bewildered expression. He can imagine that today’s game must have drained you out like it had with the others, but it isn’t like you to not give them a small hello or a wave of your hand.

“Is he okay?” Jungkook mumbles, the game being long forgotten when they both stand up simultaneously.

Taehyung shrugs, “We did lose the game today…”

Jungkook hums, lips downturned, “So? We’ve lost games before and it wasn’t even for a medal.”

“You’re right but it might have been Y/N’s first loss.”

Taehyung stares at Jungkook and they both encapsulate the dreadful look. Luckily for them, their years of experience has taught them that losing a game was a very common occurrence and although it was indeed saddening, there were many more games to come.

“Should we do something?” Jungkook asks and Taehyung frowns, glancing around.

“I have an idea….” Taehyung whispers, eyeing Jungkook keenly, “But I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

***

You let out a sniffle as your sleeve comes in contact with your eyes, lashes now thoroughly dried after being soaked for hours. Clutching onto your phone, a small smile graces your lips when you recall the conversation you just had moments ago with Hyerin, her ability to make you laugh at something that happened to her luckily coming through and taking away the heavy ache in your chest.

Blinking your sore eyes, you glance around and eye the couch, having realized a little too late that you had barged into the dorm without a look at either Taehyung or Jungkook, too caught up with yourself to acknowledge them. The guilt has sunk in now, but when you take a peek around, you don’t see either of them in sight.

Pacing around the dorm, you hear the distinct clanking of glass coming from one corner, your curiosity being more and more drawn to the kitchen.

The scent of disinfectant immediately wafts over your nose, causing you to scrunch up your features and cover it until you take in what was before you.

Taehyung stands beside the sink, a familiar frilly apron around his waist and giant gloves covering his hands. There’s a large humid mask over his face, strands of his black hair poking out and facing a mountain of dishes piled in front of him. Peering at the ground, Jungkook seems to be in a similar state but with a broom, hurriedly sweeping at the ground in a rushed pace.

They both freeze when you linger by the door, completely perplexed by what was going on. They appear startled as well, as if not expecting for you to show up so suddenly.

It’s only when Jungkook peels away his mask that you finally get an answer, “I told you we should have worked faster!”

“Hey, I didn’t know either, okay?!” Taehyung tries to shout back, instead mumbling underneath the mask he wears.

“What’s going on?” You meekly ask, both of them sighing heavily and Jungkook gesturing for Taehyung to spill the beans.

“We decided to clean up the entire kitchen together.” Taehyung softly smiles, boxy grin still being noticeable underneath his mask, “We wanted you to feel better so….”

Your eyes widen as Jungkook nods, unconsciously allowing water to well up in your eyes again. It causes both of them to be flabbergasted, hurriedly resuming their positions.

“We’ll be done soon! It should just take about an hour!” Taehyung quickly says, mumbling to Jungkook to hurry up to which the latter retorts that he’s not the turtle in the room.

You step forward with a tender smile, “You guys need to come over here.”

They glance up confused but you still gesture them over.

“But we haven’t finished yet.” Taehyung wonders and you retaliate by shaking your head with a smile.

“If you guys don’t come over here then who am I going to hug?”

They don’t seem to question that. Taehyung waddles over to you and apologizes for all the stuff he’s currently wearing, whispering that the kitchen was an utter mess and he couldn’t stand the smell of it until Jungkook suggested they went in with some heavy artillery. You laugh and Taehyung eventually drags Jungkook over, causing him to protest because the floor was almost clean enough for him to see his reflection but when Taehyung plants him in front of you, he sheepishly outstretches his arms and lets you hug him. After loads of insisting, they both give in when you ask to help them out, a sponge in your hands and assistance ready to offer.

In the midst of the commotion, you look up and whisper.

“Guys?”

They both turn in your direction, hair still deranged and with masks intact.

You smile.

“Thanks.”

108 notes · View notes

deitiesofduat · 5 years

Photo

BASTET: “As it turns out, the project has been due for this type of update for some time -- which the artist @tenicola (aka @teninini, colacanvas, and "Teni") finally got around to, after having enough headspace to approach it.

“And just to avoid worrying anyone seeing this -- nope, Teni is not dropping DEITIES project anytime soon. She's not going anywhere, and neither am I! Or the rest of my pantheon!

“But Teni mentioned she was worried about projecting that outcome, due to how inactive she's been online, and how quiet she's been about progress. She's hoping this update can add some clarity on what's actually going on, and what to expect going forward.”

“The rest of this update is below the cut, as text mixed with panels. It's on the long-ish side, and while it's best to skim through everything for context, you can also skip to the section "SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE" if you just want to get to the point.

“Without further ago, let's start with some history that Teni wanted to share for full context -- again, under the cut!”

--------------------------------------------------

[ HISTORY OF DEITIES PROJECT ]

BASTET: “DEITIES Project -- and the main story for said project (Deities of Duat: The Chaos Seal), which is intended as a long form webcomic -- has been in development, privately and offline, since late 2014. Teni meant to keep it private for as long as possible, until she felt “ready” to share it.

“However, she was motivated to take the plunge and reveal the project's existence with these color tests and with this comic, as part of her coursework for her visual storytelling class. You know the one…”

“The surge of encouragement from both her classmates and her followers motivated Teni to create this blog -- the one you're visiting right now! It was Teni's full intention to use this blog to share progress on the main story, as a full-length webcomic, while building and engaging her audience.”

“However, along the way were a few... unforeseen obstacles that reared their head. Some obstacles were mitigated by making steady updates to the story and blog, but some were much more challenging, and she thinks it only fair to disclose some of them for context...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ OBSTACLES OF LIFE ]

BASTET: “The first obstacle was the sudden onset of chronic lower back pain -- just before the launch of the DEITIES blog in 2016. She still has it to this day, and says this ache makes it unbearable to sit or stand in the same position for too long. Among several inconveniences this causes, it also means she can only draw in short bursts before her stamina taps out, or before needing pain relief -- like heat, ice, and pressure.”

“As you might imagine, it's not the most fun condition to have when you enjoy drawing! And it's taken a while for Teni to cope with this daily frustration. She's still planning to find answers and a treatment to help reduce it, but has also accepted that she's been dealt this hand -- not unlike other creatives that deal with some form of chronic pain.”

“The back pain was one obstacle, but having to deal with different interpersonal struggles and friction was another. Some spiked her usual feelings of anxiety, and in one relationship's case, made her question whether or not the project was worth continuing. (On that note -- Teni does not want to call out anyone or guilt them, she just wanted to bring it up as a factor for the larger point she's making — just bear with us!)

“The third big obstacle a few years back, was having a day job that had an... ‘unfriendly’ work environment, and was paying a lot less income than she fairly deserved. And near the beginning of 2018, she was laid off from said job, putting a halt to any income she was earning only a week after signing the lease to her first apartment!”

“Teni didn't go into detail about those months of job hunting and taking tech classes, though she explains bits of it in previous updates. But the lack of financial stability at the time hung over her head constantly. The way she put it was: ‘It was hard to motivate myself to indulge in something I loved, but that didn't provide income, while I was in the middle of an extended job hunt.’"

“She didn't expect all these obstacles in succession when she launched the project. And she admits that she felt a combination of frustration, impatience, and disappointment for not updating the project at the same pace she started.”

“This was not because of any pressure from followers -- she told me you all have been incredibly understanding and patient! It was because of the fact that the project had been publicly promoted for so long, and she set her own expectations and goals so high -- without factoring the likelihood of life getting in the way. There was also the lingering fear of disappointing a lot of people, if one day she had no choice but to stop the project for her own livelihood and health.”

“Ah, why am I adding to this creative angst -- Teni didn't want this to be a sob story! I'll move on haha.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN A BETTER PLACE ]

BASTET: “Thankfully, in spite of all those obstacles, things are turning around for Teni in this new decade. A year ago she found a job with a feasible income to support herself, and an overall healthy work environment within her team. She's also fostered healthier relationships with her family and friends, and even made closer connections with the best friends she's had for ages!”

“And while her back pain is… still there, it's a manageable part of life that she's still determined to find answers for and improve.

“Not to mention that in the past year, she's been able to work on other projects, more quietly, and indulge in drawing other characters and fanart for fun. She's consumed more of her favorite media in the interim as well to support others, and to sate her own curiosity and interests.”

“Moving on to how this relates to this update, now that we have some backdrop for what's been happening...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ AREAS OF INTEREST ]

BASTET: “Again, Teni is not dropping DEITIES Project -- she admits the fear of having to make that call had crossed her mind, but it's not something she thinks she'll need to reconsider right now. Her bigger concern has been how to approach this project publicly, moving forward. And after giving it some thought, she's made some observations that may shed light on this answer.

“Teni wanted me to emphasize the idea of her doing a ‘reset’ for the public presentation and development of DEITIES Project -- not to change or hide the development thus far, but to reframe the project's scope -- what it's focus and goals are, more or less.

“...Oh-- looks like she made some visuals to help with this -- you two mind lending me a hand?”

“You all might have figured it out by now, but Teni absolutely loves drawing character art and designs. She also likes panel-style comics, as well as the dialogue, expressions, and SFX that comes with it. She can work on them offline without prompting, but she also loves sharing what she comes up with!

“What she's less fond of sharing is some of the other... *ahem* unmentionables and time-consuming work that comes with traditional comics. Things that take hours to set up and hours to practice, let alone execute for the final product -- an unfortunate hurdle when you're a one-person production team, and you can only draw in small bursts at a time.”

“She initially tried to put off the more indulgent art that she liked, in order to focus the less-favored obligations... but she realized that this just made her feel demotivated to work on anything, and less got completed as a result.”

“Overall, Teni's coming to terms with both her own limitations and her personal drive, and wants to shift her priorities accordingly for the project -- even if it goes against the grain of what's considered ‘good’ or well-meaning advice for a personal project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE ]

BASTET: “Instead of treating the DEITIES main story/comic as the ‘end game’ goal of this project -- and pouring all her available energy in preparing for it and hyping it up -- Teni wants to shift the main story as a future, and more private ambition, until she's in a better place to execute it and share it publicly.

“No, she does not have any estimate or TBD date for when this will be, or when she'll make public updates on it’s progress or launch. It may even remain private indefinitely. And for now, she's okay with this.

“Because (1) The main story "The Chaos Seal" is not the only story that's worth telling from this project. Smaller side- and backstories, and even small character interactions, have their merit as well -- something Teni learned from drawing askbox responses, completing memes with the cast, and character exploration with friends. And with the main story not sucking up all the oxygen, she thinks it'll leave room to tackle the others more easily -- whether they're planned ahead of time or are spur-of-the-moment, and as comics or different formats.

“(2) Removing the DEITIES main story from its public pedestal will also allow her to work on other non-DEITIES things as they crop up -- and with less irrational guilt to indulge in things that aren't ‘priority’ for completing the comic. Meaning more art of her original characters, fanart, giftart, collabs, memes and bandwagons, and other smaller projects. Heck, she might even give herself permission to relax.

“And (3), perhaps most importantly -- Teni realized that DEITIES Project shouldn’t have to start and end with the so-called main story, and placing the story aside wouldn’t mean the project suddenly becomes a waste of time -- as she originally worried about projecting when her life took a twist.

“DEITIES Project just… is. It already exists, and the characters and world already exist -- with or without a completed webcomic to validate that existence.”

“But anyway, I side-tracked. The point is, Teni's planning to shift DEITIES project to just that -- a project, with room to continually grow, explore, and experiment with, and to engage with others as she feels comfortable, without the pressure of having a giant epic to tell.

“So while the main story and comic is going to shift to something more gradual and private -- the way it was originally meant to be -- this shift in scope will help adjust the project’s longevity, and also set the stage for some changes to be made around the blog, and for the public presentation for DEITIES.”

“However, that content will be less scheduled and remain sporadic -- things will ‘happen when they happen,’ but what Teni has in mind will hopefully be enjoyable for those following the project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ WHAT'S NEXT-- ]

BASTET: “Here’s the thing: we actually had more to share, but Teni made the call to save it all for another day -- to avoid making this update longer than needed, and to also avoid announcing any plans prematurely. No need to risk building pressure all over again or burning out, right?

“She asks for everyone’s patience and to give her another few weeks to re-calibrate things, address pressing questions, and work on some overdue housekeeping on the blog -- and to just draw whatever pops to her mind, cuz hey, why not? After that, she'll wait until any project items are already in the works and on the road to completion, before she announces that they're coming -- an ‘under-promise but over-deliver’ approach.

“But one thing you can look forward to are more featured deities from the main cast and the supporting cast -- including those colors tests she's been working on since last year, and then some! There's no shortage of inspiration or fodder, so to speak.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN CONCLUSION ]

BASTET: “So to recap! DEITIES Project will be shifting its scope and priorities, so that the main story and comic is developed more privately, and more characters and lore will be explored online at a more manageable pace. On the surface, that may not look like much is changing, but hopefully this update can make expectations more clear.

“Teni knows that there may be some in the audience who may feel down about this decision, or who were looking forward to the webcomic to be completed above all else. She says that's totally fair, and encourages anyone looking for stories to check out her recommendations. But she also hopes you'll understand, and be willing to stick around for other content in the meantime.”

"That brings Teni -- and me -- to one final point. Which is to sincerely thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and patience these past few years. In addition to things that are still in the works, there's a lot of content on this blog that had been inspired by everyone's engagement, which we can't thank you enough for!

“Teni and I, and everyone else from the pantheon, are excited about what’s next for Deities of Duat and DEITIES Project. And we’re looking forward to sharing more content, more freely, in the upcoming year for you all to enjoy.”

#// If there was only one long-winded update I would encourage you all to read it's definitely this one #// Partially for the actual update and also cuz those panels took a while lmAO;;; but I did it for the sake of this announcement!#// I think Bastet explains it well enough for now; that the project is shifting it's scope online #// But if anyone has questions then feel free to leave it as a comment; I'll try to answer what i can directly and/or in the next update #// Thanks again for all your support and patience everyone; I'm genuinely thinking this shift in scope will be good for the project overall.#// Now excuse me while I draw something other than these mascots for a bit; it was nice to draw them for the first time in a while though #DEITIES Project #Deities of Duat #DEITIES updates #Bastet #Set Spawn #Ba #animals #characters #DEITIES text #artwork #comics #mini comics #egyptian mythology

132 notes · View notes

falneou17 · 4 years

Text

BanG Dream! Favorite List - 9

So now that Morfonica has officially been introduced into the EN server of the game, I think it is time for this list to get updated. Yes, I know I originally said that I would wait until RAS would be introduced as well, but I changed my mind. Mainly because, unlike Morfonica, we already know quite a bit about RAS from the second and third season of the anime.

Which should already hint at something, but let’s just go into the list... I should also specify that while I will not spoil anything specific about the Morfonica band story, I have read it and it has made an impact on this list...

Favorites

Yamabuki Saaya (1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)

Not here at the start, however. The start is still the same as always, as a certain vocalist would say. I mean, what can I say? Saaya is awesome, and the only thing that is holding her somewhat back... well, there are two things, really; she’s relatively static and she’s in a band who... isn’t as notable for me, as should become very obvious going down this list (if it wasn’t made obvious already). Nevertheless, Saaya’s still at the very top even if I don’t talk about or write her all that often.

Aoba Moca (2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2)

No change here, either. Moca is still the same old Moca as she’s always been. The same lovable, teasing, going-at-my-own-pace genius. It really does take something special to be mistaken as my favorite character of the franchise for so long, and Moca definitely has it. And, to be fair, Moca did steal the number one spot for a bit... it’s just that Saaya has reclaimed the throne since then.

Mitake Ran (3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3)

It would be weird if Ran’s spot wasn’t the same as it’s always been, now would it? In all seriousness, Ran may or may not have been rising in the rankings ever so slightly... mainly because of some interactions during lives that I found out she had. She’s got some pretty fun ones now that I may or may not have never heard before myself.

Satou Masuki (20, 21, 10, 9, 9, 7, 4, 4, 4)

To be fair, Masuki... hasn’t really had a chance to show up, so she hasn’t had the opportunity to show that she deserves to rise in the rankings. Considering she would have to compete with Ran for the number three slot, she probably wouldn’t be rising any time soon, but still... she’s skyrocketed this far up the list, what’s a victim or two more thanks to her rising up the list?

Hazawa Tsugumi (4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5)

Speaking of victims of Masuki skyrocketing up the list in the past, hi Tsugu. Admittedly quite static, but in Tsugu’s case... why change something that is already as great as she is? Being “normal” is usually a curse in these fave lists of mine, but Tsugumi manages to be a nice contrast to her colorful friends.

Kirigaya Touko (NA, NA, NA, NA, NA, 22, 9, 6, 6)

The first of many (read: five) Morfonica girls. This should not come as much of a surprise; she was already 6th on the previous list. Now that Touko is officially in the game and I can read her band story and her card stories and all... I contemplated for a moment whether I should push Tsugumi down a spot, I really did. But... as much fun as Touko is to see on the screen, I do believe that Tsugumi deserves the higher spot. That being said, I love how Touko manages to be a mix of Lisa’s gyaru-loving self (without the issue that Lisa is facing... more on that when we get to Lisa), the teasing nature of Moca, and the going-at-my-own-pace nature of Moca as well. Definitely a fun and welcome addition to the cast, but...

Hiromachi Nanami (NA, NA, NA, NA, NA, 28, 22, 22, 7)

Talk about a jump; Nanami’s fifteen spots jump puts the eleven spots of Masuki and thirteen spots of Touko to shame. What can I say? Morfonica definitely delivered when it comes to how much I love their characters. When I first read about Nanami I thought she would be the type of girl who is just awkwardly trying to insert herself into the conversation. Now that I have access to scenes featuring her, I can see how much fun watching this little genius is. As somebody who is writing mainly Moca-focused fanfics, it’s a refreshing and amusing change of pace watching Nanami scenes. Is seventh spot a bit ambitious? Maybe. But that’s why she can always change, right?

Uehara Himari (6, 7, 8, 7, 7, 8, 7, 7, 8)

Nothing really changes for Himari, aside from the fact that Nanami now jumped up above her. I don’t like my favorite band’s leader any less; as a matter of fact, with Afterglow’s first album right around the corner... how can I not like my favorite band’s leader?

Udagawa Tomoe (8, 8, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 9, 9)

Ah, Tomoe... the most awkwardly ranked Afterglow girl for me. I really love Tomoe, she’s an integral part of Afterglow and her more outgoing expressive nature serves as a nice contrast to the more subdued personalities of her bandmates. But in terms of writing Tomoe it’s always super difficult to give her the best scenes to shine in because of said contrast. Either way, she definitely deserved this spot.

Shirokane Rinko (7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 6, 6, 8, 10)

...yeah, your safety net is starting to get torn. Not only with the introduction of Morfonica (and RAS in the not-too-distant future), but also... the main reasons why you’re still up here are not even necessarily tied to Rinko as a character. What’s worse, the era of Akesaka!Rinko is long gone... which makes it really challenging for me to try and incorporate her newer characterization... which means what is keeping Rinko up is the memory of Akesaka!Rinko, not Rinko herself... In other words, as much as it hurts me to say this, I’m not expecting Rinko to survive dropping significantly in the coming few lists...

Futaba Tsukushi (NA, NA, NA, NA, NA, 18, 17, 16, 11)

And here we got another rise, the “favorite of the Morfonica girls based on first impressions”. As Touko would call her: Fusuke. As I call her: the Himari of Morfonica. I don’t know if it is because Afterglow is my favorite band, but... the comparisons between Morfonica’s members and Afterglow’s members is pretty obvious. Like, Fusuke is (1) the shortest girl of her band, and is made fun of it quite a bit (by Touko, no less XD), (2) the leader of the band, and (3) she even has pigtails. I know people compared her to Arisa when she first was released, but tell me that that doesn’t sound like Himari to you. Especially since I compared Touko to Moca earlier.

Loves

Tamade Chiyu (13, 13, 16, 14, 15, 11, 11, 10, 12)

Same old song for RAS.

Asahi Rokka (12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 10, 12, 11, 13)

Same old song for RAS.

Nyubara Reona (14, 14, 14, 15, 16, 15, 13, 12, 14)

Same old song for RAS. Although, and I think I mentioned this in the previous list, I know the cards she will get. And without spoilering any of them, let’s just say that they are very colorful and I think that Reona definitely delivers when it comes to card art.

Kurata Mashiro (NA, NA, NA, NA, NA, 21, 16, 15, 15)

Mashiron! Or Shiro! Or however you want to call her! I like to call her “adorable”, because that’s what she is; she’s adorable. I knew that you were the shy-type, but I honestly didn’t think I would continue to like you as much as I do considering how much of a shy-type you are. Honestly, you make Rinko look like the most confident girl in the franchise in comparison. But you’re great. You got a great singing voice and a lot of potential and I look forward to see how you will grow over the years.

Maruyama Aya (9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 12, 14, 13, 16)

Nothing has changed about you, for better or for worse. Except the fact that a couple girls shot past you, but that’s beside the point and not at all this girl’s fault. I think Aya still has a lot of potential, but I don’t feel like I have seen enough of it to justify moving her around the list. The fact that she is still up here should signify that she’s definitely still a very good character.

On a side note: my girlfriend wanted to remind me that she still likes Aya, so I guess that’s reason enough for Aya to not drop more than she has? And she technically hasn’t even dropped; Morfonica just jumped...

Wakamiya Eve (11, 10, 11, 13, 12, 14, 15, 14, 17)

Pretty much exactly the same as Aya above you. It becomes harder and harder to think of things to write for characters who don’t move much on the list over the many lists I make.

Likes

Wakana Rei (25, 20, 15, 11, 13, 13, 18, 18, 18)

Same old song for RAS.

Yashio Rui (NA, NA, NA, NA, NA, 24, 29, 29, 19)

Okay, Rui here is an interesting character. For many reasons. I really like what she has going for her; her characterization, her motivation, her emotions (or lack thereof). Just like how Tomoe’s super expressive and outgoing personality contrasts nicely with the more subdued personalities of the rest of Afterglow, Rui’s stoic personality is a nice balance to the high emotional levels (...with the possible exception of Nanami) of Morfonica. That being said, whether Rui doesn’t show or doesn’t feel any emotions is a different thing, and depending on what it is will strongly influence how easy it will be to try and write her.

Shirasagi Chisato (22, 22, 22, 21, 22, 27, 26, 19, 20)

Again, nothing much I can say about you... this list is about Morfonica, mostly... though I will say that I’ve been seeing a lot of good Chisato art as of late.

Hikawa Sayo (17, 16, 18, 18, 17, 17, 19, 20, 21)

Again, nothing much I can say about you other than that being in the band that you are really hurts you...

Okusawa Misaki (10, 11, 13, 16, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22)

Again, nothing much I can say about you other than that being in the band that you are really hurts you...

Imai Lisa (5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 5, 8, 17, 23)

Again, nothing much I can--okay, fine, I will talk about you. In a bubble, I admit that you are a great character. I like Lisa, I like most of her relationships with the other girls and I like her bright and upbeat attitude, especially considering which band she is in. However... what I really despise about Lisa is that she reminds me of a character who I don’t even want to name anymore, and as Kaoru can attest to... that’s not a very good thing to say the least... so down the list you go...

Ichigaya Arisa (15, 17, 17, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24)

I considered putting Arisa above Lisa (or, better phrased, Lisa below Arisa), but... I don’t think that’s fair. I think that, despite Lisa’s shortcomings, I definitely still like Lisa more. That being said, I’ve seen a fun new art of an Arisa card in the future that I will definitely be keeping my eye on.

Toyama Kasumi (26, 24, 23, 22, 21, 25, 23, 24, 25)

You know what’s the saddest part about Kasumi? I think I would like her a lot more if she was not pushed to be the protagonist of the franchise. Yes, I know that somebody has to do it, but... Kasumi has a lot going for her. A lot going for her that ended up being pushed under the rug. I mean, for one, Kasumi got an incredible singing voice that doesn’t get to shine as much as it possibly could because she needs to fill the role of “face of the franchise”.

Above neutral

Hikawa Hina (24, 23, 25, 25, 24, 29, 30, 28, 26)

Talking about why I like Hina is kind of funny, but... as I said in the last post, I started playing Genshin Impact a little while back and my main character is Xiangling (a character voiced by the same person who voiced Hina). So by liking Xiangling more in Genshin I started liking Hina more in Bandori. That’s it. That’s my reasoning for putting Hina above Maya. Because Hina is Xiangling and Xiangling is awesome.

Tsurumaki Kokoro (16, 15, 19, 19, 20, 20, 24, 25, 27)

Ah, Kokoron. You mean well and you’re definitely much deeper of a character than a lot of people might think you are. Unfortunately, the happy happy type songs aren’t my type of songs and, as I have said many times, Kokoro is a nightmare to depict in writing.

Matsubara Kanon (23, 25, 24, 24, 23, 26, 28, 26, 28)

Kanon is great. ...yeah, that’s all I have. Sorry, Kanon, but trying to find new things to talk about when nothing too significant has happened is pretty challenging... I still don’t feel like Kanon has surpassed Kokoro, either, but... it’s definitely getting closer and closer.

Yamato Maya (27, 26, 26, 27, 27, 31, 27, 27, 29)

Maya didn’t drop; I just decided I like Hina more. I still like Maya, I think Maya can offer a lot of potential. But it’s probably already a bit late for me to start diving into said potential, huh?

Kitazawa Hagumi (29, 29, 29, 28, 29, 33, 33, 31, 30)

And there we go, Hagumi surpassed Afterglow’s drummer’s younger sister. Why? Because, well...

Neutral

Udagawa Ako (19, 18, 20, 20, 19, 23, 25, 30, 31)

Being in Roselia is really detrimental for you, huh Ako? What’s worse, her one and only niche of being a gamer has effectively been taken away from her as Shining Sunlight proved I can do a gaming-focused plot without Ako and it works well enough. So far, anyway.

Hanazono Tae (18, 19, 21, 23, 26, 30, 32, 32)

The same as always for this girl, and unlike the girls at the top I am begging Bushiroad to do something that would help her climb up the rankings again. Because Tae is likeable and a nice character... she just doesn’t stand out enough for me...

Ushigome Rimi (28, 28, 27, 26, 28, 32, 32, 33, 33)

And the same holds true for Rimi. At least Rimi got some cool calls in lives, but... that’s not enough... that really isn’t enough...

Below neutral

Seta Kaoru (VB, VB, VB, VB, VB, VB, VB, 34, 34)

I will admit this: the fact that another character has taken your place on the very bottom of the list definitely helped make me dislike you less over the months. And I will also admit that you have some niche potential, especially since my earlier first impression of Rui being like you seems to be false (for better or for worse). Will I take you up to take advantage of that? Probably not... but fair is fair: I know the possibility is there so I figured I might as well acknowledge the fact that I know of the possibility.

And that’s all the characters, right? I definitely didn’t miss anyone, or at least I don’t think so. Eh, if I did then she probably isn’t important enough for me to mention.

#BanG Dream! Fave List #Falneou17

2 notes · View notes

shenlongshao · 4 years

Text

GGS Redesign Analysis: Millia Rage

This is super long overdue, but welcome to another part of the GGStrive redesign analysis! Last time, I did Zato, which can be found here. Now it’s time to do Millia Rage!^_^ MILLIA RAGE ------------------- “How is it possible she keeps getting prettier?!” and “She looks so gorgeous!” is what the majority of people said after seeing Millia’s reveal trailer. Since she has a few designs in the past, I’ll be talking about each one starting with her look in Guilty Gear: The Missing Link.

(Here’s a direct link to see it bigger https://i.imgur.com/dR9DBod.jpg) Millia’s initial design has a simple, yet unique and retro type style. The height and width of her collar conveys the traits of being mysterious, distant, and reserved. The short bubble sleeves of her form-fitting, white leotard displays a hint of her feminine and elegant side. Layered over the leotard is a sleeveless, short blue overalls dress with hip-high slits. On her arms is long, fingerless gloves with double metal plates. On her feet is ankle-length boots with blue frontal metal plating. Sometimes, she would try to conceal herself with a long, beige cloak when venturing in public. The primary aspect of her design is her blonde hair, which the majority of it is her Forbidden Beast called Angra. And lastly, there’s a thick, blue headband to compliment her look. Before the events of the 1st game, Millia was an orphan until being raised by the Assassin’s Guild and forcefully given Angra(it hasn’t be directly stated what she lost in exchange, but there’s some implications on what it might be). The style of her black gloves shows she’s combat ready while the style of her clothing tells of her valuing the aspect of able to move freely. Although the training and traits of an assassin has been instilled in her, the blue and white color scheme conveys how much she wanted to get away from that lifestyle. I think this design was good for its time, but I’m glad it was improved in Guilty Gear X. Next is what was her iconic look.

The concept of Millia’s original design has been kept and updated rather than a complete change. Her long, black fingerless gloves and her ankle-length boots is the same. However, one of the changes is she wears a black leotard underneath instead of white. There’s also the design of her high-collared, short-sleeved dress. It has two buckle straps within her bustline and at the helms along with blue trim. I notice how white is the dominant color this time instead of blue, so l’ll be gathering the color personality traits that fit Millia. Color Personality of White: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-white.html Having a personality color white means you are neat and immaculate in your appearance, in the presentation of your home and in your car, almost to the point of being fanatical. You are well-balanced, sensible, discreet and wise. With a personality color white, you are cautious, practical and careful with money. You think carefully before acting - you are definitely not prone to impulsive behavior. You tend to have a great deal of self control.

You are confident, poised and self-assured when at your most positive, but can also be very choosy and fastidious when the mood strikes. You can be very critical of yourself and others (in your need for perfection) - but you try to be fair and impartial as well. You are self-sufficient and a loner - you don't want or need help from anyone. However, you may also experience times of loneliness because of this trait. You may be wishing to create simplicity in your life - perhaps a wish to re-create your childhood, lost youth and happier times in your past life.

You can be quite sexually prudish with your need for self-control and perfection. You hide your flaws from others to give an impression of perfection. You may appear to be shy, but you do have strong beliefs about most things and love the opportunity to air those beliefs. The challenge for you is to be open-minded and flexible and to communicate your needs and desires. Color Personality of Blue: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-blue.html You are conservative, reliable and trustworthy - you are quite trusting of others although you are very wary in the beginning until you are sure of the other person. At the same time, you also have a deep need to be trusted. You are not impulsive or spontaneous - you always think before you speak and act and do everything at your own pace in your own time. You take time to process and share your feelings. You are genuine and sincere, and you take your responsibilities seriously. Having a personality color blue means you have a deep need for peace and harmony in your everyday life - you don't like having your feathers ruffled. You would benefit from daily meditation and quiet time for reflection, introspection and self-discovery. You appear to be confident and self-controlled, but may be hiding your vulnerable side. Being a personality color blue means you are generally fairly even-tempered, unless your emotions take over - then you can become either moody and over-emotional, or cool and indifferent.

You can be rigid - you like to stick to what is familiar to you and it is hard to sway you from your path - you stubbornly do things your way even if there is a better way. You need to have direction & order in your living and work spaces - untidiness and unpredictability overwhelm you. You don't like to draw attention to yourself - you prefer to be in the background. Color Personality of Black: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-black.html You are independent, strong-willed and determined and like to be in control of yourself and situations. With black as your personality color, you may be too serious for your own good - bring some colour into your life to lighten you up - life should be fun. With a personality color black, you may be looking for protection from any negativity that surrounds you. You may wish to create an aura of mystery and intrigue, as in the sexy black negligee. You may be going through a stage of self-denial, not allowing pleasure and joy into your life. You hold things inside and are not good at sharing yourself with others, possibly out of fear. You are methodical in your work, making sure everything is completed as required, down to the last detail. You may have lost sight of your direction in life and are going through a very negative phase. These perfectly describe Millia and like the improvements to her design. Story-wise, Millia was still on the path of severing ties with her teacher/lover Zato and the Guild. But she wasn’t able to fully live peacefully due to Zato’s body got taken over by Eddie. The biggest change is how Zato got revived by the Conclave, which stirs the mixed feelings she has for him and forces her to deal with her feelings and what to do with her life; meaning a change in her design.

This is the first redesign of Millia’s look that really accentuates her feminine nature and hint of Russian heritage. The style of her hair is different with side-swept bangs and layers extending beyond her cheeks(without Angra, her hair grew to her shoulders). There’s still hints of her previous look with the style of the long-sleeved coat dress she wears. It now has the added detail of decorative button within the orange tie saying “Curiosity killed the cat”(she likes cats and chasing them). She still has the high collar and how there’s a single buckle with a loose strap wrapped around her lower shoulders. There’s two buttons near the black cuffs of her sleeves and helms of her coat dress. Her gloves are much shorter and this time, is white with orange trim. The black leggings and the white, ballerina-inspired shoes displays her elegant side. The Russian style hat has the labels Z1-28 and 13; Z for Zato and 1-28 referring to his birthday and 13 for the years they were together. The most interesting part of of her look is the main color is golden yellow. There’s also some hint of orange, so let’s see what it means for her. Color Personality of Yellow: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-yellow.html You analyze everything, all the time, and are methodical in your thinking. You have a strong independent streak in you, and are selective with your choice of friends, keeping a small group of close and like-minded friends rather than being involved in team events or large social gatherings. You communicate well on a mental level with like-minded people, but can become bitter and sharp-tongued if crossed. With a personality color yellow, you can be stubborn but dislike pettiness and spitefulness of all kinds. You like to think you are intelligent and well educated, with knowledge about many topics. You are a smart dresser and always dress to impress. Color Personality of Orange: https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/personality-color-orange.html You are friendly, good-natured and a generally agreeable person. You are tolerant and accepting of others just the way they are. You enjoy being physically active, particularly in the outdoors, whether it's simply going for a walk, or competing in high level sporting competitions. I love this design for her because of how well it shows her style and personality. My only complaint is it’s way too much yellow, XD. But Millia has went through a major character development with the realization there is some good moments during her time in the Guild, such as people she formed connections with(Zato, Slayer, and Venom). That instead of running from the Guild, she decides to return and vows to be the next leader to reform it. She concludes that a simple, normal life is not what’s meant to be. It’s really basically a poor excuse for her to keep appearing in future games, lol. Thus, it’s time for to have another redesign, which I’ll begin with her face.

The structure of Millia’s face looks softer with slightly rounder cheeks and smoother chin to emphasize her femininity. I notice how she’s given a distinctive nose shape rather than giving her a standard female nose. The tip is smoother and the bridge of her nose has a elongated curve. The most pronounced feature of her face is her eyes. Not only is it similar to style of the older GG games(like X2), but her eyelashes are thicker. It conveys of her being mature, elegant, and confident. Another thing I noticed about her eyes isn’t the same shade of blue like Ky’s in the previous games. Lighting does have a huge effect on how a color appears, so I did looked at Ky’s under the same lighting and stage; Ky’s is pure blue compared to Millia’s. Next is seeing the rest of her upper body.

(Link to see it bigger https://i.imgur.com/19919qD.png) There’s some things kept from her Xrd SIGN design like the button that says “Curiosity kills the cat” and “Z1-28″ and “13″ on her hat. The material of her Russian hat is fur like a traditional one, once again wanting to highlight her nationality. The style of her clothes is drastically different with wearing a formal black blouse with orange trim and the details on her new, form-fitting dress coat. Below the bust area, the printed words on it says “Ivy Traditional”, which is mostly like the name of the clothing brand she’s wearing. There’s buttons from the front beginning from her stomach downward and buckle straps around the sleeves and the outer center on the upper part of the coat. Accenting the look is a orange scarf attached and wrapped around her shoulders. An interesting detail around one of her sleeves is the strap with the tag “P.W.A.B.”(I circled it in the picture). Considering what happened in Revelator(1 and 2), it must be relating to what Millia’s goal is and has a high position. Surprisingly, there’s no full picture of her yet so I’ll have to show a screenshot instead.

She also seems to have kept her black leggings, but have different shoes. Now she wears high boots with orange trim at the bottom. Millia’s primary color is French beige this time, so let’s look at the color personality.(I had to go to a different site) Color Personality for Beige: https://colorogy.com/beige-color-meaning.html You are modest about your achievements. You can keep secrets and confidences. Your understated and low key persona can fascinate and intrigue other people. You come across as enigmatic as you say little and leave a lot unsaid. You keep your cool even in difficult situations. People are drawn to your calmness and inherent tranquility. You have an indefinable quality that adds to your allure and this can mean you are always or frequently surrounded by admirers. You prefer to play by the rules and being ethical is one of your priorities. You are a true friend and a loyal partner in your relationships. When it comes to friendship, it is not a hectic social life and a long list of friends that you look for or want for yourself. You are happy and content with a small, trusted group of friends. Loyalty is something that comes naturally to you. You are loyal and expect the same in return. You have the ability to grasp new ideas and concepts quickly. You amass knowledge for wisdom and for knowledge’s sake. You are interested in everything that goes on in the world and in your areas of interest. You are much in tune with all that occurs in your immediate environment. You are responsible and dependable. You are introspective and enjoy discovering meaning to your beliefs and way of thinking. When you start something new your intention is always to take it to a logical conclusion. When you become interested in something you burn with ideas and energy to get what you want. You are protective about your loved ones. You are even protective about the welfare of perfect strangers. You may take up a cause that inspires you and quietly do your bit without mentioning it to anyone. Seeing someone else miserable or suffering in some way can cause you emotional distress and take the shine off your day. Refined and sophisticated define your personality perfectly. This reflects in every aspect of your life, your fashion sense, your lifestyle, your behavior and your choices. Even when you encounter difficult, irate or rude people, you may not retaliate, as you believe undignified behavior is below your dignity. You get content with the way your life is and resist major change. You enjoy being in your comfort zone and are reluctant to step out of it to face the unknown and have different kind of experiences. You think of and plan for tomorrow. You have goals and ambitions that you plan to achieve and have a concrete plan in place. The efforts you put in towards achieving all that you want in life are consistent. You don’t back down; come what may, when you really want something. With Millia taking on a high position role and how she wishes to make a positive change in the Guild, wanting to be with her allies, etc. The color beige definitely fits her, especially since it also describes traits she has since the beginning. There’s Venom, whom they used to not get along, but have learned to put the past behind them. Zato, her mentor and the one she loved, whom she still deeply cares for, etc. It’ll be interesting to see how her story unfolds and how she takes on this role. All of Millia’s designs have been great in their own way and love how her Strive design takes it a step further. She’s more beautiful than before(which I didn’t think was possible, lol), her professional and elegant style highlights her personality and growth as a person, and love her striking eyes. I’m really glad yellow isn’t her main color anymore because I felt it was too overpowering, especially with her hair being also yellow. Beige is a much better color and compliments very well. Rating: S + + + (Gorgeous~!)

#guilty gear strive #guilty gear #millia rage #character analysis #this is long overdue lol #Daisuke Ishiwatari

13 notes · View notes

writings-in-ebony · 5 years

Text

Heritage - Chapter 2 Steve Rogers/Black!reader

Summary: The annual Gathering is approaching causing all Irish wolves to come and celebrate their history together during a five-day week filled with feasts, games, entertainment, and storytelling. However, The Hunt is also during this time and Steve is volun-told to participate in this Coming-of-Age ceremony by none other than his grandfather. To have a successful hunt, one must possess all the attributes of a wolf to succeed, but Steve doesn’t have that. How can he successfully complete the challenge (and not die) when he can barely make it down the stairs without collapsing into an asthmatic fit?

Author’s note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late submission, but life outside has a way of killing the writing muse and distracting me. I struggled through the beginnings of his chapter, but as you can tell, steam was picked up as my excitement grew. I would also like to point out that I tried to do extensive research on wolf mythology in Irish culture. If it is not accurate, please let me know and I’ll promptly correct it. I like to be as concise as possible with my works. As always, likes and reblogs are well received and I love comments and asks! Thanks again, everyone!

P.S. I’m sorry the reader has not shown up yet! It’s such a slow burn but I want to build the story up!

Word Count: 3341

Warnings: Bad language and a singular event of physical abuse

Chapter 2: The Hunt Part I

Cashel watched on as the contractors he hired lifted a wooden beam that would eventually be part of an intricate large tent. The tent will house three long wooden tables and benches, all made from the wood of the ash trees that grew in his homeland. They didn’t take long to import and the wood maker he had hired was a family friend. The man has been making crafts for them for well over twenty years and there was just something special about his work that caused them to keep requesting. With the tables that Cashel needed for this event, he specially carved the family’s crest into the top of the table and poured resin into the gaps to smooth it back out. It was beautiful and each tabletop was glossed and stained to bring out the rustic coloring. Marvelous, he had praised when he first saw them released from the shipping box.

One of the workers was drilling in the beam when his assistant, a relatively young wolf by the name of Finnian, approached him with his notebook in hand. The lad was lean, average height, and had a soft face that didn’t match his stern, cold eyes. Cashel had recruited him during the latter parts of the fifties, and he has been pleased with his work ever since. Finnian was prompt, organized, and quick on his feet whenever things went south. Cashel had also noted the young man had a dark streak to him, which complemented his unwavering loyalty to the family and his boss.

Finnian, who was already opening his notebook before he reached Cashel, was looking to finalize plans, receive a few confirmations, and update Cashel on all the arrangements and changes that are taking place. “Sir, I need to update you on a few things,” he had begun, formal and professional about everything.

“Firstly, I confirmed the menu with the chef, and he has already begun making preparations for the dinner. The baker has delivered the cakes and pies. However, she tried to skimp on one, but she was able to dock off some of the cost after some nudging. The contactors are, as you know, in the middle of their building and they will be done well in advance.” Cashel nodded, pleased with the news. But he didn’t say anything because he knew Finnian wasn’t done.

“Now, as for the Coming of Age ceremony, I have made sure that there are roadblocks and barriers put in place to prevent any…unnecessary leavings of the property. There are also barrier markers in the woods at the edge of the land. And some of the men have volunteered to stand watch and prevent anyone from entering and leaving without permission. As for the ceremony, I have three boy’s names down: Matt, Sean, and Miguel.”

“Steve,” Cashel provided. Finnian’s eyes widened and he paused at Cashel’s sudden addition. Without looking at the lad’s face, Cashel continued. “Add Steve’s name. He shall be participating in the Coming of Age ceremony, too. And make sure he and his mother are notified.”

“But sir, Steve…” he trailed off, wondering if it was his place to ask the question.

“I understand. Steve is lacking the physical qualities that are preferred to participate in The Hunt, but I believe he can still participate with what he has. The boy is smart, and a fighter. I know he is the runt to everyone else, but there is something under that weak exterior that is trying to fight its way out. And I want to be there when it does.” Cashel’s words didn’t ease Finnian in the slightest. In fact, they worried him and confused him. The boy was going to die, Finnian thought as he wrote down his name under the list of participants.

“He wants me to do what?!” Steve screamed, face red and blotchy as he looked into Bucky’s worried eyes. “I-I can’t do the Coming of Age ceremony! I-I’m not, I c-can’t even run to the bathroom without having an asthma attack and increasing my risk of heart failure! And now the old coot wants me to compete against my strong ass cousins in an effort to show off what, my ability to die at the slightest breeze?!” He was breathing very heavily, almost wheezing, and Bucky reached into his pocket for the back-up inhaler.

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Bucky softly answered, but the responding glare aimed back at him told him that wasn’t the best approach. “Okay, listen, you’ll be given the tools you need to complete the challenge okay? And guess what, knowing you, you’ll do great!”

Steve flopped down on the bed, shrinking into himself and putting his face into his hands. “I knew my grandfather was trying to kill me. I bet he’s like, ‘Oh ho ho, let’s put him in the ceremony. That way he can die without it being on anyone’s conscious.’ Acting like I’m not the fucking runt.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, I know that’s not your voice I hear dishing out that horrible language,” came his mother’s stern voice. Steve jumped in surprise and watched his mother enter the room, a garment bag dangling over her arm.

“Sorry mam,” he grumbled. Bucky stood to the side and watched as Mrs. Rogers went to the bed and laid the garment bag down.

“Apology accepted,” she smirked, unzipping the front and exposing about five outfits for Steve. Her son let out an irritated groan and she quickly shut him up. “No, none of that. You know this is an important event and you need to look the part. Especially given you’re now in the ceremony!” She looked excited, but Bucky could smell the presence of nervousness and fear. She felt the same hesitations as Steve, but she couldn’t voice them unless she wanted to discourage her son. Even so, the matter was out of her hands.

“Now, c’mon and try on these outfits. I want my son to look good for the ladies this weekend!”

The Hunt was only a small celebration within a larger one called The Gathering. The Gathering was the annual meeting of Irish wolves to celebrate their origin, survival, and thriving heritage. It has been held for centuries, usually somewhere within Ireland, but after the Gathering of 42’, it was decided that it should be held within America. It was a safety and security issue, and Cashel had taken up the mantle of hosting the event at his mountain estate every year.

The Gathering consisted of five days of events and various festivities. The first day was dedicated to the history of Irish wolves and everything involving the lore and stories behind their origins. A huge bonfire will be erected, and everyone will gather around to listen to the elders' recount old tales, both scary and mesmerizing. Steve always loved the tales, even if he’s heard them every year. They were so inspiring and made him proud to be part of a family with so much history. They told tales of the Laignach Faelad, a tribe of wolf-men who followed under the cruel rule of Crom Cruach and demanded payment in the form of newborn babies. Or the fight between Morrigan and Cúchulainn and how the goddess shifted into a giant wolf and caused destruction in her path. The stories were also exaggerated to make them more outlandish, but they were always entertaining, and everyone listened attentively every year as if they were brand new.

The second day would be dedicated to various games, tournaments, and music. It was an all-day party that ended in a giant feast and all the alcohol anyone could dream of. There wasn’t much Steve could do on this day since it mostly required you have the strength and skills of a wolf, so he usually just cheered his cousins on as he stood off to the side.

The third was a day of rest. A day where everyone tried to get over their hangovers and compose themselves before the big ceremony. A simple dinner was held, and it was usually a peaceful affair. There might be some rowdy individuals, but most just ate their dinner and either talked about the previous day or the one to come.

The fourth day was the big ceremony: The Coming-of-Age ceremony. This is where the chosen youth come forward and participate in a challenge and upon successful completion, they will fully be recognized as adults. It was a very important event amongst the family and every young wolf must participate if they want to be accepted and respected. The ceremony started with another big feast. The participants are sat in the middle of the table and given a hearty helping of food to increase their energy. Once that is done, the elders will announce each of them and give a speech on what it means to be an Irish wolf. And then, begins The Hunt.

Steve was brought out of his thoughts when he realized his name was being called repeatedly. He gazed up from the book in his hand (he wasn’t actively reading it anyway) and saw his father standing in the doorway. His face was a mix between nervousness and irritation, probably because he has been calling his son’s name numerous times. “Yeah?” Steve asked, curious as to why his father was here. He never came to Steve’s room. It was like a silent agreement between the two. They stayed out of each other’s way and never had to deal with each other. But here they were, staring at each other as Joseph leaned against the frame of Steve’s bedroom door, looking at Steve with a weird smirk on his face.

“I just wanted to see how my son was doing,” Joseph chuckled. Steve’s frown deepened. This was highly unusual. Joseph saw the open expression of confusion cross his son’s face and his own smirk faltered. “What, I can’t see how you are doing?”

“You never come here,” Steve shot back. Was there something he did wrong? Did his father want something from him?

Realizing that Steve was not buying the fact his father became suddenly attentive and caring, Joseph eased off the doorframe and entered the room. “I heard you are participating in The Hunt.”

“Yeah, granddad volunteered me. Apparently, he has this notion that I’d be a great candidate for it, and I need to have the “experience”,” he raised his hands and did an air-quote on the word “experience.”

Joseph shifted his feet and chuckled, “Yeah, that’s your grandfather for you. Always making decisions for himself without considering others. But you know you can opt-out of it right?” Steve closed his book, narrowing his eyes at his father.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying, son, let’s be real. If you go out there, you’re going to die, and it won’t be pretty either. Your mother is already worried sick about you going into this thing without a lick of strength and skills to guide you. So, yeah, you can save yourself by opting out. It won’t hurt anyone’s feelings and I’ll make sure your grandfather knows. Okay?” He actually had the audacity to aim a smile at Steve, like he didn’t just propose that he become the ultimate coward in front of his family.

“No one has ever backed out of The Hunt before,” Steve sneered.

“I know, I know, but listen. It won’t be that problematic. I’ll talk to the elders; your granddad and I’ll make sure you catch no slack from it. Everyone will understand why you want to opt-out.”

“So, you want me to…to become a damn coward?! To become the only person in the entire Rogers family, no scratch that. In the entire history of Irish wolves, to not participate in The Hunt? Really? You really think I want that on my name along with the fact I’m a literal runt?!” His voice raised at his father because he couldn’t believe his father would try to talk him out of something so important. Now, don’t get him wrong, Steve didn’t want to participate in the ceremony to begin with, but he’d have to at some point. So, he wanted to go ahead and get it out the way, hoping that luck was on his side and he wouldn’t die in the process. But he didn’t think his father’s hatred for him was deep enough to talk Steve out of finally being seen as something more than a stain on the family. No, Joseph didn’t want to be seen as the man who had an embarrassment for a son. He’d rather his son live his life silently as a runt than go out and get himself humiliated and killed during such an important event. It would only solidify the fact that he might not be a great heir to inherit the Rogers throne. He’d be the man who carried the weakest genes.

“I didn’t come here to start a fight, Steve. I’m only trying to protect you,” he began but was immediately cut off.

“You came here to protect your image. Not once have you shown any concern for me. No, you only care about what I’d make you look like if I participated in The Hunt. Well, sorry, Dad, I’m going to be in The Hunt and if I die, so be it.”

Joseph’s eyes flared a bright, blinding blue, his anger clear across his face. “You are a selfish child! And I don’t need you to solidify my place as a family heir anyway because your grandfather has already made it known that he will announce an heir to the family this weekend. And since your uncles have no knowledge of any of the business that goes on with the family, guess who is left to lead? ME.”

“Oh great! An ego booster that you don’t need.”

“I will not be disrespected by some child who can’t even breathe straight half the time. Especially one who is willing to put their mother through the pain of losing a child!”

“Is it comparable to the pain you put her through when you fuck around with other women?” The slap didn’t register to Steve until his face was already turned towards the other wall. The sting of his cheek followed soon after and he could already feel it swelling. When he turned his head back forwards, he saw his father standing over him, eyes blazing with sweltering anger. His hand was still raised, and his breathing was coming out more raggedly as if he had just run a mile. Steve glared right back at him, hoping his face was showing the same level of hatred.

“Sir, Mr. Cashel has requested you to be at his mansion as soon as possible. He’s looking to speak with you on some of the plans for the weekend,” Bucky piped in, face stoic and composed. Joseph, hearing the man’s voice, jumped back from Steve and straightened himself out.

“Ah, yes. I’ll be there shortly,” and with that, he hurried from the room. Bucky watched the man leave, waiting until he was around a corner before entering Steve’s room and shutting the door. He quickly went to the bathroom and prepared a warm towelette covered in water and rubbing alcohol. Steve silently took it and placed it on his cheek.

They sat in silence for a good minute, listening to the sounds of cars as they passed by the front of the house. “How much did you hear?” Steve eventually asked, eyes aimed at the window.

“Enough,” Bucky supplied, sounding grim.

“Do you think I’m in the wrong?” Steve turned to look this time. Bucky’s face softened and his head slowly shook from side to side.

“No…You have every right to do it,” Bucky sat on the edge of the bed, aiming a small smile at Steve. “Plus, you have that determined look. Even if I tell you no, you’ll still do it anyway.”

“You’re damn right,” Steve grumbled. “I’ll show them all I can do it. Even if it does kill me.”

Things with Joseph did not get resolved by the time the weekend started. Sarah, who was ignorant of the exact reason why her boys were acting strange, tried to ease the tension with conversation and excited talk about the events to come. But it did nothing but make the long drive up to the mountains more awkward. She had given up three-fourths of the way and they all just sat quietly as the radio droned on.

When they reached Cashel’s mountain estate, they saw that there were already quite a few people already there. Eight cars were neatly parked in a line towards the edge of the lot and Steve recognized two to belong to his Uncles Brennan and Aiden. Joseph must have recognized them too because he was currently cursing under his breath.

Everyone in the family knew that Joseph was not liked by his uncles, Cashel’s brothers. And while Steve didn’t know the exact details of what caused the dissonance, he faintly heard that his father had said the wrong thing at the wrong time and has been on their hate list since then. Add that to the fact they thought of him as a lowly individual and constantly berated him whenever things went to hell. If they thought that bad of him now, wait until they heard he was being considered as the next leader. Steve can already imagine the looks of disapproval and distaste.

Thankfully, Steve and his mother never had an issue with Cashel’s brothers. If anything, they adored Sarah and Steve and wondered how both of them ended up stuck with Joseph for a husband and a father. It was hilarious and they made Joseph the butt of their jokes whenever he came around. And while Sarah tried to defend him, Steve always laughed along and agreed with half the shit they said. Mainly because it was true.

They climbed out of the car and walked towards the front of the mansion, already consumed by its great shadow. The large wooden front door was opened to reveal Cashel, who looked down upon them with a huge smile and a glass of wine in his right hand. “Son! Daughter-in-law! Grandson! Welcome!” he cried. Deeper within the mansion, music could be heard, and someone’s laughter cut through.

“Hello, father,” Joseph uttered as he crossed the threshold. He bypassed Cashel’s open arms and made his way further inside. However, it was noted the way he looked around as if looking for someone. Or maybe trying to hide from a specific pair of individuals.

Sarah, on the other hand, walked into her father-in-law’s open arms and hugged him. She smiled brightly and started giving compliments to the Cashel about the house and how she was looking forward to another year of enjoyment. Cashel thanked her and eased her inside. But he paused and looked back at Steve. Steve stood just outside the door and looked up at his grandfather’s face. The man’s merry smile was replaced with something darker, more mischievous. As if he was hiding a secret that only he knew.

“And hello Steven,” the man grinned, making Steve suddenly uncomfortable.

“Hey, granddad,” he muttered.

“Are you excited about this weekend?” The smile was gone, replaced by his signature intense stare.

“I don’t know if I’ll do good. I mean, I’m not really cut out for…The Hunt, or anything. I don’t want to disappoint you or the family,” Steve gulped, hating he was showing any slight weakness in front of Cashel. But what he didn’t expect was his grandfather’s firm grip on his shoulder, pulling him into the mansion and leading him through the hallway towards the music.

“Don’t worry Steven. I believe you are fully capable of completing the ceremony. And hell, you might even surprise us.” Steve looked up at his grandfather’s face, trying to read the man, but there was nothing but a knowing smile. And before he could inquire the man about what he said, he was called away.

Previous Chapter <-- ---> Next Chapter

Taglist:

@mygirlrenee

@sunlightandkisses

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x poc!reader #steve rogers x black!reader #black!reader #poc!reader #marvel #marvel fanfiction #heritage fanfiction #fanfiction

25 notes · View notes

sara-scribbles · 5 years

Text

Learning to Live (Part 2)

Líf/F!Summoner Note: It’s been a long time, but I’m still working on this AU. When will IS release Líf?!

Part 1 Part 2

Watching as some of the heroes had mock battles, Kiran would sometimes call to some. Most times it was just to make sure they were okay. Other times she offered advice. However Kiran tried to keep from interrupting too much. The heroes needed to learn to strategize without her.

She internally winced when Ike took a hard hit. “Ike! Remember your resistance to magic isn’t that strong even against a green tome user. Take what hits you can, but rely on others to mitigate the damage.”

The vanguard picked himself up. “Right.” He frowned as he steadied his weapon.

Sighing, she made her way across the field. Anna was holding a map out. She was gesturing to something while Alfonse and Sharena nodded. Sidling up to the prince, Kiran rested her elbow on his shoulder. “What’cha got there?”

“Commander Anna is thinking of adding more defenses on the east side,” Sharena explained.

“Well that side is in need of some updates.” Kiran nodded. “Maybe we should spruce up the lookout posts too?”

Anna frowned. “We’ll have to dip into our reserves. We are running low on funds since we haven’t raised any money of late.”

Alfonse sighed. “I know that look. What money making scheme are you coming up with now?”

The redhead shrugged. “Nothing concrete yet. But spring is just around the corner…”

Kiran chuckled. “Does this mean we’ll see a return of bunny Sharena and Al?”

The prince’s face paled. “Anything but that.”

“But you made such an adorable bunny!” Sharena cooed. “I bet Kiran would make a nice one too.”

“Sure I’m up for it.” Kiran grinned. “I haven’t been able to dress up for the festivals before. I think I would make a great spring rabbit.”

Anna shook her head. “I don’t think we’ll have the money for that. Though maybe there are some heroes willing to pay for a photo of Kiran in a bunny suit…” The commander started mumbling to herself and writing. Kiran could see the dollar signs in her eyes.

“Do I want to know who wants to see me in a bunny outfit?” Kiran asked the royal siblings; her eyes darted around.

Alfonse shook his head with a grimace. “I highly doubt that.”

“I would want one! And one of Alfonse too!” Sharena stated unabashed.

Laughing, the Summoner turned her attention back to the training. “Have you guys seen Líf?” Based on the training schedule she had made, he was supposed to be there as well.

Sharena shrugged. “I think he was at breakfast, but left rather quickly. I feel like he’s avoiding me.” She frowned. “I guess it’s hard for him since his world is gone. I wish there was something we could have done…”

“He made a deal with Hel and lost. There isn’t much we can do for those who are gone.” Alfonse looked off in the distance. “I can’t say if I wouldn’t have done the same if I had been in his place.”

Running her fingers through her hair, Kiran sighed deeply. “Alright, enough talk. You guys need to get to training too.” She watched as they took their leave. “Anna?”

“Yeah?” She didn’t look up from her furious scribbling.

“I’m going to take a break. I’ll see you for the meeting tonight.” Leaving the training grounds, Kiran walked through the castle.

Her thoughts wandered to the deadly swordsman. She often wondered if they were just lucky to have met Hel later than Líf’s world did. They were able to defeat Hel because his Askr had failed. If it had been reversed, they would be in different spots. Their Order of Heroes would be gone. Sharena, Anna, everyone would be gone while Alfonse would remain hanging on to his regrets.

So in thought Kiran walked smack into another person. Her head knocked against hard metal and she stumbled back. A slew of swears left her mouth as she touched her forehead. Looking up, her frown deepened as the target of her thoughts stood in front of her.

“Líf...you didn’t come to training.” The bruise on her forehead smarted. She rubbed it, trying to soothe the sting.

He stared at her passively. “I did not want to come.”

“Well you should train some. I don’t want you to get out of shape,” she joked. When he didn’t respond, she cleared her throat. “I realize you’re averse to being around people, but you should try to make some friends.”

“I thought it was up to me to decide.” An eyebrow went up.

She blinked. “Pardon?”

“You said, a few weeks ago, that it was up to be to decide whether I wanted to live or not.” He watched her face for a reaction.

“Huh, I didn’t think you were actually listening to me.” Her brows furrowed. “Okay. Well I’ll leave you to it.” She brushed past him without another word. However, she was stopped by a tug - it was barely even felt - on the back of her cloak. She turned to him, waiting.

Confusion flickered in his eyes. Even he didn’t seem to know why he stopped her. “...I apologize. Never mind.”

Her head tilted to one side. “I was thinking of going to my spot to read. I’ll see you.” Again turning on her heels, she walked off. --------- Kiran sat under her tree with a new book in her lap. She had finished the previous book rather quickly. A part of her had the goal to finish all the books the library had to offer. It wasn’t a likely goal, but she couldn’t resist the challenge. Even Alfonse hadn’t read all the books as of yet. A chilly breeze swept by, but she made no move to acknowledge the new guest.

Líf hovered a few feet away, unsure of what to do. Kiran flipped the page and continued reading. Finally he took a seat under the tree next to her. Staring up at the canopy of leaves, the sun made patterns through them. Minutes passed by as she kept reading and the swordsman observed the leaves.

Eventually Kiran dogeared her place and closed the book. “You know what I love about Askr?” He didn’t answer, but she hadn’t expected him to. “Nature here is untouched by pollution. Where I come from there isn’t much nature around. I can’t even see the stars at night.”

“It sounds very different,” he mumbled.

She leaned her head against the tree trunk. “It is. But where I come from has its perks too. Like modern technology. And my family and friends…” Kiran’s thoughts wandered to her family. She hadn’t thought of them as of late. Yet, when she did she felt a mix of emotions. Some good, some bad.

“...do you miss them?” he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Yes and no. I miss certain things about my family and friends. Yet there are some things I don’t miss. Maybe that makes me sound ungrateful, but it’s the truth.” She closed her eyes.

She heard him breath deeply. “I miss them. If only I was the one…”

“Perhaps if things had been different, this Askr would have been the one to fall while yours survived. Perhaps if I hadn’t been summoned, I would be home.” A bird let out a cry somewhere. “We can spend the rest of our lives speculating what could have been. Or we can focus on the now.”

“You make it sound easy,” his voice darkened “I have to live with my choices. The choices that killed everyone. If you hadn’t won, I would have had them all back!” He was suddenly hovering over her. His breathing was heavy and she could feel the weight of his stare.

Opening her eyes, Kiran held his gaze without fear. “You’re right. You do have to live with your choices. We all do. You think your the only one who has regrets? Ask any of the people summoned here, and I’ll bet they all have their own skeletons.” She sat up so her nose barely brushed against his own. “It’s how we decide to live after those choices that define us. You can wallow in self pity, but nothing will change. Or you can live on like Sharena would have wanted.”

“You don’t know what she would want!” he hissed, eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I know my Sharena, and if she is anything like your own, then you know what I say is true. She would want you to live and never blame yourself for what happened. You can move on, but it doesn’t mean you have to forget.” Kiran touched his jaw with her hand; his mask was cool to the touch. “If she knew you were punishing yourself for what happened, I know she would be heartbroken.”

He jerked away from her touch as if she had burned him. Standing he stalked off without looking back. Kiran watched as he disappeared behind the trees. She let out a deep sigh, and leaned back into the tree trunk. Closing her eyes, she sent a small wish to whoever was listening. The bitterness in Líf’s heart weighed him down. He had a lot of burdens to sort through, but she hoped he knew she would help in any way.

---------

“Eliwood, take down the pegasus knight.” The redhead did as he was told and quickly cut down the enemy with slash of his lance. Now that the sword was out, she had more room to deal with the others. She did a quick sweep of the battlefield trying to figure out the best way to get everyone around.

Alfonse was busy taking care of an axe knight while Sharena had just finished off a blue mage. She frowned when she realized that the ninja from before was missing. Turning around, she didn’t spot them. Swallowing nervously, she wondered if the enemy had managed to slip through their defense or was taken down by a different soldier.

“Alright, let’s move on.” Eliwood gave a nod, and started off ahead of her on his horse. She hustled through the forest. A rustling sound off to the side made her pause. A rabbit hopped out of the bushes, sniffed the air, and continued on.

“Just a bunny…” She let out a sigh. Suddenly a cold chin went down her spine as a breeze brushed her cheek. Turning around she saw the enemy ninja jump at her, daggers raised to strike. Eyes wide she could only stare in horror as the blades came down.

Metal screeched on metal as her vision was blocked by a furry black cloak. Líf blocked the attack and pushed the ninja back. Before they could react, he slashed through them with his sword. The sword glowed a menacing purple as it connected. A streak of purple light flew from the sword and hit Kiran in the stomach.

She went staggering back as a gash appeared where the light had hit. Blood seeped into her tunic. Slipping to the ground, she grasped the front of her shirt. The light had hurt as if she had been struck with the sword herself. Gloved hands tried to cover the wound, but the blood just stained her gloves.

The fallen prince sheathed his sword and turned to her. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw the blood. He knelt beside her. He almost reached out for her hand.

“Kiran!” Alfonse bushes through the bushes and runs to her. Líf stands and stepped away as his other self knelt beside her. “Are you okay? We need to get you a healer!”

Leaning against Alfonse’s shoulder, they slowly stand. “I-I’m fine, Al. Just a little cut.” She tries to smile but winced instead.

“You’re bleeding! How did this happen?!” His gaze immediately meets the red ones of his counterpart. “What did you do.”

“Saved her life,” Líf retorted. He ignores the uncomfortable feeling in his gut. “Unfortunately she was in the way of the recoil damage from Sökkvabekkr.”

Alfonse glared at him but Kiran stopped him from saying anything else. “Come on, Alfonse. Let’s go see Sakura.”

Without another word, she limps away. Líf watched them. His hands curled into fists when his younger self had looked at him. The loathing and anger in his eyes was very clear. Following them at a slower pace, his eyes followed the trail of blood Kiran left in the grass.

The wound was healed quickly without a problem, and Kiran was cleared to leave. Though Alfonse wanted her to stay in the infirmary, she had managed to convince him to let her go. They went to the dining hall to eat.

“Be more careful, Kiran.” His brows were drawn together and a frown was firm on his mouth. “We can’t afford to lose you.”

“I’ll try to be more aware of my surroundings. Anyways it didn’t even scar.” She took a bite of her meal. “I’m not going anywhere for a long time, Al.”

He sighed. “I just worry about you. You’re like family and I don’t know what we would do if anything happened to you.”

She grinned. “Thanks! You guys are like family to me too. I promise I’ll try not to get myself killed.” She spared a broccoli. “He didn’t mean to hurt me, and he did save me from getting skewered. Just stop giving him your murder look.”

“My what?” He coughed as some of his drink dribbled down his chin.

“Murder look. You get this very intense look that says “I’m gonna murder you” whenever you’re super angry.” She pointed at his face with a wide grin.

Sitting up straighter, Alfonse cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mhmmm.” The rest of dinner went without much fuss.

Kiran took an extra plate of food. Navigating her way through the castle, she came to Líf’s room. She knocked on the door. “Líf? It’s Kiran.” There wasn’t a sound. She went to knock on the door once more, but she realized it was open ajar. “I’m coming in.”

Stepping inside, she spotted him standing near the window. His sword rested on a chair and she noted his gauntlets on the bed. His back was to her as she quietly shut the door. “I brought dinner since you didn’t come.” She set the plate down on the table near the fireplace.

Rocking on the back of her heels, she waited. When he didn’t respond, she spoke again. “Sakura cleared me for battle. So everything is fine.” Again he said nothing. “Alright. Well, I’m heading our. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She turned to leave. “Why?” Stopping she looked at him. His back still to her, she saw that he was watching her through the reflection from the window. “Why are you being so nice to me? I hurt you.”

“But you didn’t hurt me. I was hit by the recoil from your sword.” She frowned. “It’s not like you meant to do that. Plus you saved me from that ninja.”

“I know what Sökkvabekkr is capable of. Yet I still attacked while you were near. I didn’t care if you got hurt.” He was glaring at his own reflection.

“Well,” she chewed on her lower lip “the fact that you’re acknowledging it means you feel some remorse. You’re not as bad as a person as you think.”

Moving away from the window, he stalked over to her. “Did you forget that I tried to kill everyone to bring back my own people not too long ago?”

Tilting her head back, she sees more than just coldness in his eyes. “I haven’t. But your past doesn’t mean you can’t change.”

He closed his eyes. “You’re too optimistic. You won’t always be able to look at the positive side of things. What will you do then?”

Without thought Kiran took his hand. It was cool compared to her own; his eyes snapped open. “When that day comes, I’ll try my best not to forget myself. If I have my friends by my side, I can face it head on. It sounds cheesy but that’s how I feel.”

He gazed at their hands. Without her gloves, Kiran’s hand is warm and slightly calloused. He was so focused on their linked hands that he seemed to forget Kiran. His hand is large and she can feel the roughness of them. His hold is gentle, almost like he might hurt her if he tightens just a bit. She ran her thumb over his knuckles.

A cool hand touched her chin. His eyes were focused on her face. The pads of his finger trace the contours of her jaw. His hand tilted her face up, and she stared into his eyes. In the light from the candles, those ruby red eyes shined. His gaze was observing her face for something. She held still, afraid any movement might scare him away.

Finally he released his hold on her chin and moved away. Her hand fell limply by her side. “I would like to turn in for the night.”

It was her cue to leave. Kiran swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “Right. Well...goodnight.” She quietly left his room. Hand against her chest, her heart fluttered a little. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she walked down the empty corridor to her room.

#feh imagines #fire emblem imagines #fe imagines #feh #fe heroes #fire emblem heroes #fire emblem #feh lif #fe líf #líf #scenario

19 notes · View notes

docfuture · 5 years

Text

Princess, part 5

[This story is a prequel, set several years before The Fall of Doc Future, when Flicker is 16. Links to some of my other work are here. Updates now planned to be biweekly–next update is scheduled for November 30th.]

Previous: Part 4

Journeyman cooked and talked, with frequent pauses to mutter at the food, while Flicker sat at the kitchen table tapping at her handcomp. She'd changed out of her costume into shorts and a T-shirt with a yellow hazard sign triangle containing an exclamation point, and he had swapped his cuffed shirt for what looked like a faded band shirt showing a group of four blurry humanoid blobs. It appeared to be a reference to an old joke; if You've Probably Never Heard of Them by Really Obscure was an actual album, it wasn't in the Database. "The Box released their vid," she said. "They wanted it on the news so people would believe Hermes isn't on Earth anymore. And since they can't talk to me, lots of reporters want to talk to the magician instead, but he isn't answering calls. They're saying he's rumored to be a heavy drinker, which sounds like a smear attempt?" "Might be," said Journeyman, while stirring at the frying pan. "But it's very likely true. That's just how the Box operates." "What do you mean?" "The Box needs at least a few magicians with basic skill at wards for security. And they want ones who are competent, experienced, and can pass a background check, because skimping on any of that is just asking for trouble. But the Box is an incredibly depressing place to work if you're at all psychically sensitive, before you even consider their workplace culture and management history. So almost anyone qualified can make a far more palatable living somewhere else." He waved the spatula. "Unless they've got other problems. And the Box will tolerate high-functioning alcoholism. Usually they have other health issues, too, because the one thing the Box does have is really good health coverage--if they didn't, nobody would work there." "That's... discouraging." "Very little about the Box isn't. But you're supposed to be off-duty." "Yeah, yeah," said Flicker. "Doc says the probability manipulation anomaly seems to have died down, at least. And whatever you're fixing is starting to smell good. I guess I am hungry." "Thought so," said Journeyman. "Cooking wasn't something that fit with my mental model of you. You can port to get food anywhere." "Yes, and I often do." He grinned. "But porting is also very handy when I discover I'm missing a spice or ingredient. Want to know how I started?" "Of course I do." Journeyman had a talent for telling stories that helped Flicker unwind, and he liked to talk while he worked. "Well, a number of years ago--you'll note I'm being deliberately vague about how many--I was doing a lot of alchemy delivery work..."

Whatever Journeyman had done with the garlic and onions might not be magic, but it smelled good enough to be. "... despaired of ever being more than mediocre at potion-making," said Journeyman. "But the witch, and I want you to picture her like someone's nice grandmother--except with a little glint in her eye that told you she just might have been a resistance fighter during the war or something--asked if I wanted to know the secret to practicing alchemy. I said I did, and she leaned closer and whispered 'Learn to cook'. So I did." Flicker smiled. "Does it actually help?" Journeyman started scooping food onto plates. "They're different arts. But once you've learned alchemy, it does help, because they have a lot of skills and habits in common. And cooking ingredients are a lot easier to get. Safer, too. I'm still only average at alchemy, at best--it takes decades to get really skilled--but I've been getting better. And I like cooking better than alchemy." He brought the plates to the table. "Dinner is served." Silence for a time while they ate. Living at normal speed, in the present. Something Flicker hadn't done much of lately. "This is really good," she said. "Thank you." "No problem." She finished eating first and put her plate in the sink. Then she sped up and checked her handcomp while she waited for Journeyman. She ran through her Database self-check and reminders list. A lot there that she'd been putting off, waiting for a better time, or for Journeyman to finally be done with his interdimensional mess. She slowed back down and watched as he finished. "All right," he said after clearing the table, "You wanted to hear the rest of my reason. Back to the living room?" "Yeah." Flicker sat on the couch with her handcomp in her lap, facing him. His smile from dinner faded, and he looked tired and worried. He clasped his hands and stared at them. "There are a couple of things I noticed that add up in an unpleasant way. At least for me. That's why I said it was personal. This is based on my own judgement. We clear on that?" Flicker frowned. "I didn't expect anything different." "First, I saw something in your visor replay that bothered me. Still bothers me." "What?" "Right at the start." Journeyman looked up at her again. "I know you've had some serious arguments with Doc. But he knows you pretty well, and he's the smartest man in the world. He knew about summoning boomerangs. He knew there might be trouble at the Box--he was on the phone to them in what, 20 seconds?" Journeyman waved a hand. "But what did he do, in the first two seconds after the alert hit? What was the most vital priority for the smartest man in the world?" Flicker swallowed. "He reminded me that Hermes was a person." "Yeah." Journeyman took a breath. "And you said the Database AI intervened too? You didn't slow down for that part." "DASI. Yes." "And did either Doc or this DASI give you even a hint about potential boomerang trouble or problems at the Box until you were already well on the way? They had time; you stopped to let Hermes talk twice." "No, they didn't." "Doc knew you'd be able to stop Hermes. And was worried enough he'd get away to take steps to try to prevent it. But it looks to me like the top priority was keeping you from killing him. Because Doc wasn't sure you wouldn't." "It was the right thing to do," said Flicker. "I was really burned out when the alert hit. And disconnected--I was depersonalizing everything, including myself, to reduce the emotional load from my shift. To try to recover. And the word 'demon' is way too broad. This is not an abstract problem for me. Some aren't as smart as dogs. Some are as smart as most humans. And I've killed demons. I'm pretty sure they were just the stupid, evil kind--but I don't know. I have to make decisions with my high speed mind, which has another categorization problem related to them that I don't fully understand yet. And the extra strain of trying to work around it makes everything harder. So I do have a problem with prejudice, and I'm not sure how to fix it." "I understand," said Journeyman. "And you have a lot of company in that prejudice. Probably a majority of humans who have an opinion about demons at all. There are evil demons, good demons, smart ones, and stupid ones. Demons with free will, and ones with very little volition--often not by their choice. Ones that start out stupid and get smarter, and a few that go the other way. Demons that look human, demons that don't, ones that can shapeshift and mimic, ones that can't. I could keep going. But there's no line that anyone can draw and with any reasonable justification say 'every demon on this side of the line is a person; every one on the other side isn't', and believe me, people have been trying for centuries. This doesn't stop the line drawing. It just gets used as an excuse for more hostility." "I don't try to draw a line," said Flicker. "But the lack of one does makes my categorization problem worse." Journeyman nodded. "Yeah. And your problems weren't all clear to me when I agreed to become your partner, and asked for backup in case I was attacked by 'demons', while working on something I had no idea would turn into a mess lasting more than a year. I'm sorry about that, and I owe you. One of the things I owe you is not making things worse if I can help it. Speculating about the non-human part of your origin in a way that would make you angry even if I were right? And just might cause you to be inclined to go kill someone because you consider them a demon and think they're your mother? Yeah, not helpful. So I won't do it." Flicker stayed at normal speed; this was an emotional problem, not an intellectual one. Speeding up wouldn't help. The anger was trying to come back. She handled it. And her background fear that she'd do something destructive by accident or overreaction was still present. It never went away completely , and she never tried to dismiss it. She didn't dare. So if Journeyman had some of the same worries? It certainly wasn't a reason to be angry at him. "Okay," she said. "I can accept that. And you did answer my other questions. Which helps." "I'm willing to help in other ways. You want to learn more about non-human people and all the challenges they face that don't get into the high-quality data parts of the Database? And why they don't? I can tell you lots about that. You want to learn about some of the mind-bending and frustrating issues that come with dueling diviners and background probability manipulation, from the perspective of a magician? Sure thing. But there are some limits." "I understand. You're being... diplomatic? There are a lot of things that are mixed together that we haven't talked about. That we need to. Tonight probably isn't the best time, though." "No argument there." "You said you need to check on some things. Can you do that from here, or do you need to port around?" "I was planning on doing it from here. I'm wiped enough that I'd rather not do a bunch of porting. Why?" "Because I need to do some memory assimilation before I sleep if I don't want to lose details--it's been a long day--and I'm already at a warning level for social isolation, but I don't want to be around most people. You don't bother me. So I don't want to leave yet. Is that okay?" "Sure, but there might be some muttering and swearing under my breath. Will that be a problem?" "No. It will just be you." Journeyman stood and looked over at his computer and the group of phones connected to chargers beside it. "Well, I guess I've run out of excuses not to look at the dumpster fires in my message drops." Flicker put on her night visor and moved a pillow so she could stretch out comfortably on the couch. "Good luck." "Thanks. Hopefully a lot of them will just be 'Hey, do you know what your partner did?'" "Doc has a Database bot for handling messages complaining about me. I can help you set one up if you want." "Tomorrow, maybe," said Journeyman as he sat down at his computer. Flicker focused on her visor display, and started work on the exercises she used to help integrate her high speed memories with her normal speed ones in a way that retained as much as possible of what she considered important. Journeyman's typing and quiet, mildly incredulous muttering were a pleasant, familiar background. She finished her first pass, and started adding odds and ends. Little millisecond-long glimpses of Rome, tiny slices of a place that she could perhaps revisit someday... ***** Dreams, pleasant ones for once. Exploring, with Journeyman, free for a little while of the driving urgency to stop bad things from happening. ***** Flicker woke in darkness. She moved her arm; the bed was... not a bed. She was on a couch. Journeyman's couch. She rubbed her eyes, then turned on her night visor, which had shut down automatically. No alerts or emergencies, one message notice. Squishy brain was fuzzy, speed mind was not fully loaded--just emergency response and recovery defaults. She sorted out a few relevant memories of the previous day and sat up. A sticky note had been placed in a spot that drew her eye. It turned out to say the same thing as the message:

Flicker: Didn't want to wake you. Food and drinks are in the fridge. If you need to leave and aren't in a hurry, please wake me so I can reset the ward on the front door. I'm down the hall, just knock on the door. You can also wake me if you need anything else. --J

She didn't need to wake him; the light amplification from her night visor was sufficient to let her find the bathroom. After washing her hands, she washed her face and considered the tired-looking stranger in the mirror. Dissociation--but putting herself together after waking always took a little time and effort. Not worth it right now. She went back out into the hallway and stopped, frowning. The door to the bedroom was ajar. Why would he tell her to knock if it was open? She glided into the bedroom. Her mind was still fuzzy. Journeyman was sleeping on his side at one edge of the bed. Did he usually sleep with the door open? He'd emphasized the importance of closed doors to wards... He knew how she felt about doors. Was it open because of her? She remembered what he'd said when she'd asked if he was expecting an attack: 'Certainly not with you here.' Did he feel safer... without that barrier between them? She looked at the other side of the bed. There was plenty of room. He would never suggest it. She understood that much. She glided over to the far side of the bed and carefully got under the covers. But the slight movement of the mattress was still enough to wake him. "Mmph?" he said. "It's just me," she said. "It's safe." "Flicker?" "Yes." A pause. A sudden whuff of air, a shift of the mattress as weight lifted, and covers fluttering down. He'd ported out. Not safe.

Next: Part 6

#FallofDocFuture #FallMisc

9 notes · View notes

padfootagain · 6 years

Text

Singles Will Be Paired (III)

Part 3 : More Than A Little

Here we go with part 3! I'm very inspired by this story so as you can see the updates are quick!

Still just fluff :D

Hope you all like it!

Gif not mine

Word Count : 3400

"Oh my God, I told you! He's fucking Prince Charming!"

You laughed at your friend, and were happy that she couldn’t see you as you felt your face heating up.

"He's not. But he was quite a… charming stranger."

"Charming stranger! YES!"

"Stop being so excited, would you?"

"Never! This is brilliant! Here you are in Paris, enjoying a weekend in Disneyland right before Christmas… that's a sign! It's the magic of these three things mixed together that created this Christmas miracle that took the form of Charming Stranger…"

"His name is Ben, and he is normal."

"Charming Stranger sounds much better. But you didn't send me a picture of this sweater of yours! Nor a picture of him, actually…"

"SHUT UP!"

You sent your best friend a picture of your ugly sweater, and you heard her make a disgusted sound.

"The little devils…" she went on, talking about the children who had caused you to drop your hot chocolate on your sweater. "Forcing you to wear this… thing…"

You laughed.

"It's not that bad. And Ben bought himself an ugly jumper too to make me feel better."

"Awww… it's adorable!" she spoke in a high-pitched tone.

"Stop it," you begged.

"What I don't understand though, is why you didn't ask him if you could have dinner together tonight. I mean, you're both alone…"

"We'll see each other tomorrow, Annie. Relax. I barely know him after all, and… I don't want to look like I'm desperate or something."

"You're right. Keep him on his toes."

"No, Annie!" you heaved a sigh. "That's not what I meant either. Besides… I don't think I have such an effect on him."

"He ran after you to ask to see you again, Y/N. You do have this effect on him."

"Do you really think that he could see me… like that?"

"Y/N. You're single. He's single. He wants to spend his whole day with you. Of course, he sees you this way!"

A grin formed on your lips without you being able to control it.

Because after all, you did hope that he saw you this way.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe that you still don't have her number."

"I'm seeing her again tomorrow. And it's not what you think."

"It's not what I think, huh?"

"Jack, shut up."

"I'm not shutting up, Ben," his brother replied. "You're finally having a crush on someone, it's my job to make sure that you're not wasting this opportunity."

"I'm not having a crush!"

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are, Ben. We've been on the phone for a half an hour and for all this time, you've only been talking about her. You're in Disneyland and you haven't talked about Disneyland at all yet, only about that girl. So, Ben… you do have a crush on her."

Ben tried to find an argument against his brother, but failed miserably.

"Right… perhaps I like her a little."

"A little?"

"Can't you drop it?"

"Right, right… Well, tomorrow, at the end of your date, don't forget to ask for her number."

"It's not a date."

"Of course… I need to go. Mom and dad have made dinner. And get her number!"

Before Ben could reply, his brother had hung up. Ben let out a sigh before turning the TV on. He looked through the French channels until he found BBC News. But he didn't listen to anything the journalists say. He looked at the ugly jumper he had bought with you, a soft smile forming on his lips.

Perhaps he did like you… a little…

-------------------------------------------------------------------

You hurried towards the large gates. It was still rather early in the morning, but the sun already rising, and the lampposts and Christmas lights were not shining anymore. Your breath drew strange forms of smoke in the cold air as you hurried down the lane. You couldn't wait to see Ben again.

You searched for him through the crowd, your eyes scanning every face and a feeling of disappointment weighing your heart every time you realized the stranger before you wasn't him.

For a moment, you thought he wasn't there. Perhaps he hadn't arrived yet. Or perhaps… perhaps he wouldn't come. Perhaps he had thought it through during the night, and had changed his mind about you and…

But you recognized his ridiculous and adorable Christmas hat in the blink of an eye, and relief washed over you as you hurried towards Ben.

He welcomed you with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Y/N!" Ben merrily greeted you. "Ready to take another chance at making me deaf?"

"More than ready," you chuckled. "I've rested my voice last night, I'm up for the challenge!"

"Then let's find that out!"

You laughed as you walked together through the large gates.

"Are you proudly wearing your ugly sweater?" he asked with a crooked smile filled with mischief.

"I am!" you nodded, pulling on your sleeve to show the fuchsia fabric. "I don't really have a choice, anyway. And I guess that as long as I'm here, I don't look too stupid. That'll be another story when I visit Paris though…"

"Well, if it can reassure you… I'm breaking just as many rules of fashion as you today."

He opened his warm coat enough for you to recognize the Pluto sweater he had bought the previous evening with you, and you both laughed.

"That's adorable!" you thanked him. "I don't feel so bad anymore."

"I knew you would like it."

He paused for a few seconds, before going on in a lower tone.

"You still look stunning with this sweater though."

You looked up at him but he held your gaze, giving you a little smirk tainted with flirt, and you let out a chuckle.

"You don't look that bad yourself, even with the Christmas hat."

"Thanks," he smirked with a wink, making you giggle.

You walked in the park together, letting yourselves be guided by the crowd passing the gate. And while you advanced through the main street, you didn't feel the need to speak. Somehow, just by being by your side, Ben was making you feel calmer. Somehow you felt better when he was around.

You visited the other side of the park, before spending some time buying souvenirs. Which meant that Ben and you both tried on the most ridiculous pieces of clothing you could find. Ben settled to buy for himself a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and you bought a pair of Minnie ears as well, so you walked out of the shop with matched costumes. You bought souvenirs for your family and friends, and Ben did just the same, and for the end of the afternoon, as you had went through all the roller coasters, you merely walked together for a while. Until you came across Darth Vader, and you excitedly took a picture with him. A family waited for their turn while you took a picture of Ben as well, but the mother of the family made you a kind offer when you were about to leave.

"If you want, I'll take a picture of you and your boyfriend."

You and Ben both chuckled nervously in response.

"We're fine," you answered, shaking your head.

You felt Ben staring intensely at you. He was hesitating. He didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, he didn't mean to go too far… but on the other hand, how could a picture do any harm?

"Actually, that'd be very kind, thank you," Ben nodded, handing the woman his phone and softly pulling you back towards the disguised Sith.

You paused next to him, a stupid smile on your lips. Ben had wrapped an arm around your shoulders and was holding you close to him, but he wasn't pressing you against him, and you knew that if you wanted to, you could easily break free. And you felt so safe next to him…

The picture was taken too quickly, and Ben let you go only too soon. You surprised yourself longing to stay there, safely held against him again. His nearness was making your heart beat faster. And when Ben turned to you again, you still had this stupid smile on your lips. But you didn't mind. You recognized the same euphoric and yet shy look on Ben's face.

"Hope you don't mind that I did that," he asked as you walked away again.

"No, no… it's… it's fine."

"After all, we've spent our entire stay here together, so I thought… Why not keep a souvenir of you as well?"

You let out a chuckle.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

You saw Ben biting on his lower lip in hesitation, but he eventually asked in an innocent tone the question that tingled his tongue.

"Do you want that picture? I can send it to you, if you want to keep it?"

You shrugged at first, not really realizing what he was truly asking for at first.

"If you want," you smiled.

"Right. Huh… I'll send you a text, if you want."

You looked up at him, before exploding with laughter.

"Was that a way to ask for my number?"

"Ask for your number…?"

You expected from him to play it cool and to either deny it all or joke about it. But instead, he answered earnestly, taking you aback.

"Actually, that's exactly what I was attempting to do. I thought it was a smooth way to bring it up. Did it work?"

You didn't answer at first. You looked up at him, trying to read through his dark eyes. Your gaze lingered on the freckle under his right eye, before it would finally settle on these two infinite brown orbs.

But in his eyes, you could only read something soft, almost tender as he stared back at you. What did you risk anyway? He would probably never call you once you and him would be back to your lives…

You gave him an amused smile. What were the risks? He was kind and respectful and funny… a real gentleman so far. You had already spent two days with him, why not give him your number?

You offered him your open hand and nodded towards his phone, that he had not yet put back in his pocket.

"It was rather smooth," you giggled, and his smile turned into a grin as he put his phone in your hand, so you could enter your number.

"I'm not that bad at flirting, huh?"

"Now, now… don't get ahead of yourself."

You both laughed, and you entered your number in his phone, before handing the device back to him.

"I am merely speaking the truth! It worked, didn't it?" he replied with a teasing tone.

"I hadn't noticed that you were flirting," you replied with humour in your voice. "Besides… I thought you just wanted to send me this picture."

"Perhaps I should make my intentions plainer then…"

You stared at each other for a moment, before you felt your cheeks going too warm, and you looked away. Ben's ears turned crimson, and his confidence cracked for a moment, as he mumbled under his breath

"Unless you don't want me to. Then we can just… forget all this happened."

You slowly shook your head.

"No need to forget about that, Ben. After all… maybe I should give you a chance to get better at flirting."

Ben grinned, but you didn't wait for an answer to walk down the street again. You didn't want him to see that you were grinning too…

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your eyes drifted again towards the bright lights outside. The pale lights of the stars from up above mingled with the more vivid Christmas lights that coloured the street with red, yellow, green and blue sparks. You were eager to witness the illumination of the Castle at the closing of the park tonight. Ben was joining you, of course. But despite the prospect of a magical show, the idea that you would probably have to bid farewell to your Charming Stranger put a weight on your heart. And as the thought crossed your mind again, the lights outside didn’t seem so bright anymore…

You were mad at yourself for acting like a desperate romantic all of a sudden? Since when were you a desperate romantic? Never. And Ben was… like this place. Beautiful. Magical. But you would leave him the next day and he would turn into a memory as well. The magic that this place brought would disappear after midnight, like a carriage turning back into a pumpkin. Now, you could feel how disappointed Cinderella was at midnight. Life was definitely easier with a little bit of magic.

"Are you alright?"

The sound of Ben’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you turned to him again.

"Of course!" you nodded with a smile.

"You seem… far away," he went on, tilting his head to the side a little.

"I was just thinking."

Ben decided that it was best to drop the subject, and he let you pick up the conversation again. And if it was tempting to keep a light tone for what would certainly be your last evening together, your curiosity got the best of you… once again.

"So… when was your last relationship?" you asked out of the blue.

Ben choked on the water he had been drinking as you spoke, and coughed loudly.

"Well… that was pretty direct," he laughed.

"Sorry… you… you don’t have to answer that," you apologized, realizing that your question was too personal and asked in such a clumsy fashion.

After all, Ben’s love life was none of your business…

He had asked for your number earlier that afternoon though… so perhaps it was a bit your business.

"It’s okay," Ben chuckled. "I didn’t expect that kind of question, that’s all. But if you want to know I…"

"You really don’t have to answer that. It was out of line."

He gave you a reassuring and almost mischievous smile.

"I don’t mind telling you," he went on. "I was with someone for over a year. But we… we weren’t meant for each other. I didn’t deal with the breakup well though. It’s been a little less than a year since we… agreed that it was best to continue on separate paths."

"Sorry to hear that."

But Ben shrugged.

"I had feelings for her, so it made things rather hard for me and I struggled to move on. But we didn’t part as enemies. We both agreed that… my life and hers weren’t compatible."

"What do you mean?" you asked with a frown.

"With my job I spend a lot of time travelling. And she wanted someone who had more time for her than what I could manage with my job. It became rather clear that she wanted me to choose between her and my career, that I couldn’t have both. So… I chose."

You slowly nodded.

"I need someone who is more… independent than her. You see what I mean?" Ben went on. "Of course, I want to be with someone and spend time with this person, but… I need someone who will understand that I also have a part of my life that will require for me to be away."

"I see what you mean," you nodded, giving him a warm smile. "And so… that was your last relationship?"

Ben nodded, taking a sip of water.

"What about you?"

"Me?" you asked back with an amused smile.

"Well… you're the one who started with the personal questions…"

"Fair enough!" you chuckled. "But there's not much to say, really. I haven't been in a relationship in ages."

"Why not?"

You shrugged.

"Didn't find any nice guy that I liked enough, I guess."

"I'm glad you're not looking for a bad guy, that's really not me at all, and I wouldn't have stood a chance, then."

"Now, now… trying to flirt again?"

He gave you a crooked smile.

"Trying to improve, as you requested."

"Nice try," you chuckled.

"Should I fear the revenge of an ex who happened to be a bad guy and made you change your mind about men, though?"

You let out a bright laugh.

"No, not at all."

"Good to know."

You both exchanged a smile, but yours faltered quickly, and you nervously played with your napkin. Ben frowned.

"Y/N… what's going on? You've been acting weird. Am I… making you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, of course you're not. I'm just… What's going to happen tomorrow?"

Ben cleared his throat.

"I… Well, I have your number," he answered slowly, his tone cautious and serious this time. "I thought that I could call you, and perhaps we could… see each other again."

"Will you really do that? Or are you the kind of guy who never calls a woman back?"

He gave you a reassuring smile.

"I am not the kind of guy who never calls a woman back."

"Really?"

He nodded, and you saw him taking a sharp intake of breath before asking you his next question.

"But if you still have doubts, then… I mean… perhaps I could ask you for a date. What about tomorrow night?"

You frowned hard.

"I won't be back in London tomorrow, I'm staying in Paris for a week."

"My brother and I were supposed to stay in Paris for four days more. So… I'll be here too, actually. Tomorrow."

His heart speeded up as he watched you smile, and called himself a fool for reacting this way to you. But his smile was tender when he smiled back at you.

He definitely liked you more than a little…

"So… what do you say?"

"I say…"

But you stopped mid-sentence, and a mischievous glint lightened in your eyes.

"Are you alone for the rest of your trip as well?"

"Huh… Yes. I was supposed to be with my brother."

"Well… What about we extend that contract of ours, then?"

He gave you the brightest grin.

"Now… that sounds like a plan," he nodded.

"What about… we meet at the Eiffel Tower tomorrow morning, nine o'clock. What do you say?"

"I say that I'd love that."

You exchanged a shy smile.

You hated to admit it, but Annie was right. You liked him. And more than a little…

---------------------------------------------------------------

The crowd was rather dense but filled with joy and excitement. Children were carried by their parents so they would have a better view of the pink Castle. Next to you, Ben was growing colder, blowing some warm air in his hands, and several times readjusting his Christmas hat on his head.

"I'm warning you though, I'm not walking through the streets of Paris with you if you wear that thing on your head," you joked.

"I thought it was part of my charms!"

"No, it really isn't."

"Don't act like the Grinch!"

You couldn't help but laugh.

His gaze grew tender as he watched you laughing, and for some reason, he wanted to tell you. He wanted to let you know that he felt like the two of you were connected somehow, that there was something strange that had awoken in his heart at the mere sight of you. That he had spent the night thinking of you, that your voice was all he could hear through his dreams the prior night… That he had never felt this way before, and he wanted to have a chance to be more to you than this stranger who had spent two days with you at Disneyland.

"Y/N… I wanted to tell you," he breathed, and the intensity in his eyes and the softness in his deep voice made your heart speed up in your ribcage.

But he was interrupted as children started to cheer, the Castle slowly starting to shine with so many lights…

You both turned towards the Castle, but Ben didn't focus upon the magical spectacle in front of you for more than a few seconds before turning towards you again, leaning down to whisper in your ear

"I like you, Y/N. I really do like you."

You smiled up at him.

"I like you too, Ben," you breathed, making him grin.

And when you both focused on the glimmering Castle again, he wrapped his fingers around yours, and for the rest of the evening, until you parted to get back to your hotel rooms, you held hands…

******************************

Tag list : @geeksareunique @giggleberts @madamrogers @sad-orange-thoughts @aylinnmaslow @benbarnes-world @ladyblablabla @drinix @joelynnp @mxrihollxnd @rockintensse @newtstarmander @iammadeofstarsandlazyness @presstocontinue @ilmiopiccolounivers0 @ponycake27 @horsesreign @xinyourdreamsx @jbluevelvet @notkeppeki @daynight-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss @stuckupstucky @snek-shit @suchatinyinfinity @i-padfootblack-things

#ben barnes #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes fic #ben barnes imagine #imagine #fanfic #writing

168 notes · View notes

biscuitreviews · 5 years

Text

Biscuit Reviews Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Final Fantasy VIII has finally received the remaster treatment. This was the last entry from the PS1 and PS2 era that had yet to receive a remaster. The reason it was constantly left out was because during the PS1 and PS2 era, Square didn’t have much of an archiving policy. This meant that the source code for Final Fantasy VIII no longer existed. If this story sounds familiar then it does as the original Kingdom Hearts also suffered the same fate.

Final Fantasy VIII was my entry point into the series and seeing that remastered announcement trailer gave me alot of feelings and a lot of joy that the gaming community would give this game another look.

Now, I’ve already reviewed Final Fantasy VIII for this blog already. This review is mostly going to focus on the remastered edition as well as cover some points I didn’t address in the previous review. I’ll be talking about what changed as well as what improved and what didn’t improve.

Let’s get the obvious change out of the way first and talk about the character models. These new models are absolutely gorgeous. They look like they belong on PS2 game. The details on the new models show more than the original PS1 models. For example, you can now see the Garden Insignia on the Garden student uniforms and you can see Squall’s necklace, both which weren’t as prominent previously. These models go to not only the main characters, but some side characters, NPCs, monsters, and bosses. Almost everything got a nice new coat of paint and pop out more than ever before. Even the weapons that each character wields have more fidelity to them making them stand out in their own way.

One drawback is that the environments look blurry at times. It gives a weird feeling that the models are just running in a background set piece rather than their actual environment. It sort of reminded me of the first Uncharted how the characters looked way out of place from the environment. The world map also looks really rough. Textures look patchy at places and the road is just a big gray line with details popping in and out.

As for battle maps, it’s sort of hit or miss with the remaster. Some battle maps, such as the Galbadian Garden battle map, Edea’s float battle map, and D-Prison battle map, look like they got a nice touch up. Other battle maps such as the battle maps from the world map look incredibly ugly like they got no sort of treatment at all.

One thing I do want to address is the “censorship” issue some people seem to have regarding Rinoa and Siren’s new models. Honestly, I don’t have an issue with their new models. In fact, Rinoa’s new model is actually more closer to the FMV model which gives her more consistency throughout the game. As for Siren, her changes really didn’t bother me. I wish I could add more for Siren’s case, but I don’t have anything, I don’t feel one way or another. The only feeling I do have is if you are a person that has an issue with it then just stick with the PS1 version or the original PC version.

Speaking of FMV’s, they’re a bit on the blurry side. Most of them are not that bad and perform well but is a bit disappointing that they weren’t fully smoothed out. The intro FMV is probably the worst performing one as it’s incredibly slow and does suffer from frame rate issues in a few areas in that particular FMV. At least that seemed to be the case for the Steam version, I’m not sure how the scene plays on consoles. It’s something I hope Square does patch at a later time because this was the main shining point for Final Fantasy VIII which were these very cutscenes, especially with the very first scene having performance issues.

I think some new dialogue might have got added in as well as I ran into a line that I know wasn’t in the original version, particularly the Dollet SeeD field exam where Galbadia soldiers will make a comment that they’re fighting kids. Now the original Final Fantasy VIII did make references to this further in the story, particularly the Timber section. But, to have a new line that has these soldiers questioning and even state outloud that they’re fighting kids does make it more prominent that Squall and the gang are trained child soldiers which further amplifies an interesting subject matter that there is an organization actively training child soldiers with some areas of the world seeming ok with that!

Like the Final Fantasy VII and IX remasters, cheats have been included. These cheats include turning off random encounters, maxing out your health (which for some reason is only available in the Steam version), having limit breaks always available, acquire all cards, and speeding up the game. Now, those cheats might sound like they’ll make the game easier and they can, but turning off random encounters could also be challenging with how Final Fantasy VIII’s Junction/Draw progression system works.

I have to say, speeding up the game cheat was a great addition to this one as Draw farming can be a very mundane task. Now instead of spending 20+ minutes on a single encounter to Draw magic, you can just turn on the faster speed cut your farming by a significant amount. This goes for GF summons as well, no more having to sit there watching the long animation over and over again when you can just click the speed up button and get right back into the battle.

As for random encounters, I never turned them off. I can see how this cheat might actually be more challenging than helpful under the right conditions with how Final Fantasy VIII’s progression work. I can see this being an added layer of difficulty to no EXP challenge runs. This could make it to where you have to play Triple Triad and go to Draw Points to get the spells you need. This could also have your GFs learn abilities at a much slower pace causing you to be a bit more creative with some of the game’s Junction exploits to still fight effectively.

That’s another thing I wanted to discuss, now this isn’t bad, but it was something that I did hope that Square would address for this remaster which was retooling the Junction/Draw progression system. They didn’t change anything which isn’t bad as it maintains the system, but also bad because you can still heavily exploit it. This can be done by having your GFs learn item refinement abilities early and playing a lot of Triple Triad to where you can have what is traditionally late mid-game stats within the first five hours of the game.

Enemies are also still dependent on Squall’s level. This means you can stay at a low level to just kill enemies and even some bosses in one hit with how you can increase stats with the Junction system. That was another thing I hoped Square would address also to make leveling up Squall more meaningful.

I also wished that Square fixed it to where the game didn’t un-Junction your characters at specific points in the story. I get it, make sure you’re equipped and prepared to go, but damn it, why do I still have to double check to make sure the game didn’t decide to be a dick right before a boss fight to un-Junction everything.

You might be wondering with the pros and cons that I listed if the game is worth it. Honestly, yeah I think it is. For $20 USD, it’s a pretty good price for some updates and having the speed up cheat a very welcome addition for the GF summons and Draw farming.

Yes the game still has a somewhat rushed romance, the second half of the story falls apart, and the Ultimecia still feels disconnected to the story as a villain. But to me, that’s part of Final Fantasy VIII’s charm and this is a game that I still love to bits to this day.

In my review for the game a couple years ago. I didn’t give it a review score as I didn’t think I could be objective enough to give it one due to how much this game means to me and what it did for my educational development. However, looking back now I think I can be objective enough to show the differences between the original Final Fantasy VIII on its own and the remastered version. So for this I’ll score Final Fantasy VIII the game as is as well as a separate score for the remastered version.

Final Fantasy VIII receives a 4 out of 5

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered receives a 3 out of 5

This one I’ll admit was tough but I feel the Remastered version could have done a bit more to give it a remastered feel. There were issues in the original that were ripe for Square to fix this go around and they didn’t take that opportunity to fix them. However, despite me giving the remastered version a 3, it’s still a fantastic game and worth the $20 price tag. I’m glad that this game finally got some attention and even opened the door for new Final Fantasy fans to finally take a look at this game.

However, if you’ve been curious about the Final Fantasy series and is someone that is possibly looking for an entry point, Final Fantasy VIII is not a good entry point. Take it from someone whose entry point was this game. Yes, the Junction system is easy to exploit, but it does take time to understand the system to make it easily exploitable. You have to know how to properly train your GFs to get what you need at certain points in the game, know how to make skills you learn from GFs help you with progression, mastering a card game to help you get cards that can lead to items to make you stronger, learn what spells are good to Junction to which stat, and tinkering with Elemental and Status Junctions to better fight enemies with elemental weaknesses. This is better to play when you’ve had a few other Final Fantasy titles under your belt.

If you want recommendations on a good entry point, Final Fantasy XV serves a good entry point as it has all the modern conveniences of games today. Final Fantasy VI and VII also serve as good entry points as both have compelling stories and fun combat. Final Fantasy X is also a great entry point as it has a good mix of both modern and classic and one that I personally recommended as being a good “first Final Fantasy.” Then again that could also be my bias showing as it is my favorite Final Fantasy.

#Final Fantasy VIII #Final Fantasy VIII Remastered #FF8 #FFVIII #video games #video game review #game review #gaming review #gaming #Biscuit reviews #Square Enix

1 note · View note